My husband and I frequently joke that I’m really a five-year-old trapped in an 23-year-old body, so some days, I get completely caught off guard when I remember that I’m actually a grown-up and I should probably be doing grown-up things, like laundry and taxes and not spending the day staring at the internet.  Once I realize this, it is hard not to feel overwhelmed.

But then I remember my most favorite thing: start simple.

So I make my bed.

Then I tidy the bedroom and kitchen.

And then I take out the recycling.

I donate some things.

I put in the laundry.

I feed the fish.

And before I know it, all of my chores are done (it probably doesn’t help that I still think of them as chores…), and I’m free to move on to other things: reading, playing, or just relaxing.

Of course, I always remember that if I’m going to stay sane, I can’t do responsible things all the time.

So I eat dessert for dinner.

And I play make-believe (not even joking).

I read picture books (when there are no kids around).

I laugh myself silly at puns and knock-knock jokes.

Honestly, when it comes down to it, I believe the best grown-ups are the ones that are still kids sometimes.  There’s a difference between being responsible and being boring.  You can still accomplish the tasks you need to do, you can still get advanced degrees, you can still raise your own kids while at the same time, remembering that it wasn’t so long ago when you were a kid yourself, and in a lot of ways, you still are.