Let's Not Cry Over a Spilled Coffee...

Sometimes I feel like a grown up, and sometimes I feel like that same self conscious 13 year old girl sitting in the back of the room with my head in a book praying no one will talk to me. There's a quote that goes around on Facebook from time to time that summarizes this perfectly. I'm sure you've seen it before:

Today I was feeling pretty grown up. (Don't worry, it was a brief feeling...) For a moment, I thought that maybe I was the adultier adult, and it was a nice feeling...

I was in Starbucks doing homework and took the lid off my coffee to let it cool down because it was too hot to drink. I was reading an assignment for school, and reached out for my coffee cup. I brought it to my lips, got ready to take a dainty little sip, and spilled half a cup of coffee all over my brand new shirt that I bought yesterday. Ya'll. 

I forgot I took the lid off of my coffee cup and seriously missed my mouth.

There's coffee everywhere. On the table, on the chair, on my computer trackpad (Praise the Lord it didn't spill on my keyboard!!!!!!!) and of course all over me.

If missing your mouth because you forgot you didn't have a lid on your coffee cup doesn't make you feel like a giant three year old, I don't know what will. 

I didn't get embarrassed though. I didn't sheepishly apologize to a barista or anyone enjoying their coffee and this goofy little show performed by yours truly. I didn't get anxious and leave like I would have in the past. I didn't cry. I didn't text a friend and ask what I ought to do. I cleaned it up, refilled my coffee, and moved on. That seems like the "well duh" response, but in the past any or all of those things would have been my first response. 

My whole life I thought I would reach this magical age where I got my crap together, and stop doing stupid things like spill my coffee or get on the 240 loop going Northbound when I want to go South. I've told myself time and time again that one day it'd be okay because I would figure out how to be a classy, mature, as-close-to-perfect, adult and I'd figure all of life's secrets out. I'll be the adultiest adult ever.

HA.

Let me reevaluate that real quick...

I don't think I'll ever be the adultier adult. I definitely won't be the adultiest adult in any situation. There's always going to be someone who knows more than I do, and all I can do is hope and pray they pass down their wisdom to me. My pastor tells us all the time "The wise man learns from being bit by the snake, but the wiser man learns from watching the other guy get bit." I hope I continuously seek opportunities for people to teach me and show me things they have learned over the years and that I apply those teachings to my own life. But the more I listen, the more I realize being a grown up has nothing to do with not spilling your coffee. It's how you respond when you have to clean it up.

I did one of those goofy Facebook things the other day where you click on a link and it takes you to a website that uses your profile picture to answer a prompt. Who's going to be on your A Team when zombies take over the world? Who will bail you out of jail? What celebrity do you look like? There's no actual reasoning behind the answers, the website just uses who you interacted with the most recently. 

The one I did the other day was "Based on your profile picture how much have you experienced in your life?" The answer is some cliche computer nonsense that can literally be applied to anyone on the face of the earth, but I was taken aback by the side by side picture comparison. (Lol partially because the 2013 picture looks like I'm topless and that made me laugh out loud for real. For the record, it's a one shoulder dress and the sleeve is on the other side.) The girl from 2013 and the girl from 2016 is the same person, but we're also so very different. College has changed me, I would like to say for the better, and for that I am thankful. For my young friends embarking on their new adventures in life and are anxious about what the future holds, my advice to you is to listen. Listen to those "adultier adults" and be thankful for both your own imperfections that you can learn from, and the transparent imperfections of others. It's how you learn. I know it's how I've learned.

I'm going to make many more mistakes in my life. I imagine some of them will be a little more serious than spilling coffee on my new shirt, but I hope that I have a similar response every time. That I own up to my actions and clean up whatever mess I got myself into, and apologize when I need to.

I am not perfect, and I never will be. But I can strive to glorify God in all that I do, put others before myself, and love people to the best of my ability. There's no time to cry over a spilled coffee.