tis the season

boston is a college town, plain and simple, and i love that about it. there is this vibrancy, idealism, and liberalism that makes the city feel fresh and young. some of the smartest people in the country, and world, work 10 minutes away from my apartment. 

sometimes, all that youngness really makes me feel old, though. may in a college town means graduation. it is a yearly reminder of how far away from that youthful vibrancy i am. now, don't get me wrong. i am 23 years old. that is not old. what is old, though, is my state of mind. i have had a 9-5 (or 6..or 7..) job for the past 2 years. while my idealism is not gone, it is reconciled with the fact that certain things just don't happen in the real world.

graduation is exciting because the opportunities are limitless. you can do anything you want, and be anyone you want to be. the real world, on the other hand, is pretty limiting. you have bills to pay, which means you need a job. from asking around, it is rare that a job actually fulfills the ideals of youth.

there are parts of being in the real world that i love. there is no homework (other than the work you bring home). there is a routine to life. there is more weekend time to hang out with friends rather than study. there is more disposable income. there is vacation time. it would just be a lot easier to appreciate all the good things if those youthful ideals weren't 10 minutes down the road.