All Grown Up

This time 10 years ago, I was most probably contemplating another long day at school, all 6 hours of it, before a weekend full of football and crazybones. Remember those little things? Children used to walk around the playground showing off full washing bags of crazybones, and playing other children for "keepsies". Some unsportmanlike kids would run off with their possessions when they lost though, and I remember that drove me... well... crazy!

In 2012 though, things are much different. When I was 11, the idea of going to work was just non-existent. I used to think that final-year university students were more like OAP's than kids, and my knowledge of the tax code 810L was minute. But these past few months, I have heard stories of my friends getting jobs in the city, friends getting jobs for Google, getting 1sts and 2:1's in University degrees and a Sister moving permanently to Cardiff to begin the next leg of her law career. I myself am working towards targets in a job of my own, and who'd have thought I would be a fan of Jack Daniels when I was 11? Certainly not me. I'd have wondered who he was.

Just today aswell, whilst enjoying a Harvester with Sister Mitten in Milton Keynes, I learnt that my parents might well be moving to the south coast in the next few years, and with my sister firmly established in Cardiff by this time, I will be truly independent. The idea of being completely alone, without family around as a safety net is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. We might have grown up since the days of running around the classic British playground, playing British Bulldog, but the concept of paying bills and doing the washing up on a daily basis hasn't quite got into my head yet. Talks of flat-sharing with a couple of people aswell only increases these feelings.

Talking of friends getting outrageous jobs, there was a time this week where I felt incredibly stupid. I suppose it's the "old" me rearing it's ugly head, but there was a point where I felt very jealous of people getting positions here, there and everywhere, earning ridiculous money in the city or in law firms or accountancy firms and famous companies, but then I bucked my ideas up. They had earnt that right, whereas I had fallen into a job where I have to start at the bottom. And in all fairness, I am enjoying it. I am well set now, after 5 months of hardship, and am starting to take pride in my work, part-time as it may be. Work hard and play hard, and you can't go wrong.

And tax rebates are pretty cool, right?

This weekend is going to be a good one aswell, (as soon as the fortnightly shift on Saturday morning is out of the way!), as Master Beddoe celebrates his 21st aswell as his 1st class degree in Facebook Studies. At least I think that's what he was studying? No?

Maybe this is the Summer talking, but maybe things are changing. Maybe, just maybe, life is on an upward curve. Maybe.