Conquering the little things in life

I finally did it: I am officially a Colorado resident! 

 

My new Colorado ID arrived in the mail this past week. It looks weird to see my face on a green background instead of a white and blue one. Although the mountains on the ID are cool, the best part is that Colorado has an app you can download on your phone that allows you to pull up your ID on your phone. Most places will accept it too, so it’s nice if you ever lose your physical copy. 

 

On top of that, I spent four hours the other day getting my car registered here in Colorado. My tabs were soon to expire and since I plan to be in Colorado for a while, I decided to spend a bunch of money and get registered.

 

This meant getting off my parents’ car insurance (super devastating, the biggest blow of the year), buying my own car insurance, getting my car’s emissions tested, and then spending a couple hours at the DMV waiting for my number to be called. 

 

After waiting an hour in my car, then waiting another hour in the DMV building, then spending a whole five minutes at the counter, I finally walked out with new plates! Another Minnesota identification that I have to set aside to assume my Colorado identity. Is it weird if I keep one of my old plates? I have to figure out how sentimental I want to be. 

 

I’m not going to lie, I felt very accomplished walking out of there. 

 

Another thing that felt “adultlike” recently was that I decided to give up my childhood bedroom. 

 

When I was home for Christmas, my sister tried convincing me to give her my room. My room at my parents’ house is bigger than hers, and while I now live in Colorado, she plans to move home long-term in a semester to start student teaching in Waseca. She made some good points. 

 

But it’s hard to say goodbye to my bedroom. I survived middle school and high school in that room. I made it my own, learned who I was and how to express myself through what I put in it and what I decided to hang on the walls. It was where I had great laughs, went through tough times, and took many, many naps. I had my mother paint a tree on my wall where I hung things most important to me in pictures and notes. I spent hours reading, watching tv, and doing homework. I spent countless nights dreaming of the future and enjoyed some great cuddles with the dogs, who I shared the bed with. 

 

So of course I hesitate to give up my room for good. When my mom heard of my sister’s idea, she told me the room is mine until I get married. It was a nice thought–until I started feeling guilty. I’m not using the room, and I’m states away while my sister will be using her room as a home base. She would be 20, living in her small room while she could just as well have a bigger space with a bigger closet (and better views, mind you). 

 

My parents are planning on redoing our two rooms soon. Carpet, paint, all that jazz. So if there’s any time to give her my room, it’s now. She can choose her color and make it her own. They’ll just have to figure out what to do with the 400 books that currently take up all the space in my room. Meanwhile, my furniture and possessions will be downsizing to her old room. 

 

So I’m growing up. Giving up my room, officially settling down states away. I have my own car insurance now, real jobs, and student loans. That’s about as adult as it gets, right? 

 

My Determination: “Life, with its rules, its obligations, and its freedoms, is like a sonnet: You're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself.”― Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time