5 Things Adult You Finds Exciting That Younger You Wouldn’t Understand

Despite what younger you may have thought 15 or 20 years ago, adult you knows that sometimes even the most mundane things in life can bring an unexpected amount of excitement.

A little backstory, if I may.  My wife had been wanting an electric weed eater for some time, but I was adamantly against it because I didn't think they had the power I wanted compared to that of gas. Plus, I didn't want to drag an extension cord around the yard with me, or run the risk of a battery-powered trimmer dying out before I was done with the yard. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I could not for the life of me get our gas power weed eater started. Call it a moment of weakness, or what have you, but it was enough for me to cave and purchase a new trimmer powered by a lithium battery.

Despite my reservations, I found myself pretty excited to get home and fire it up to see what it could do. It was a thought teenage me would have never had. At that time, the idea of sweating under the hot summer sun while I took down weeds couldn't have been more unappealing.

From that experience, I started thinking about other things that excite me as a 40-year-old adult that teenage, or even 20-something me would have found routine or flat out boring. So, with the help of a few Facebook friends, I've give you five things I think we can all agree are far more exciting in adulthood than we ever thought they would have been.

Naps/Sleeping

I have never, ever met a kid who likes to take a nap. However, based on the responses to my question on Facebook, it would be difficult to find an adult who DOESN'T. Apparently people are tired. All. The. Time. This was hands down the most frequent response I received. With work, and the responsibilities that come with having children, the idea of catching a few Zzzz's in the middle of the day is like heaven.

No Evening Plans

For those looking forward to it, your 21st birthday means you can finally drink in public legally. It opens a whole new world of entertainment options which usually involves drinking. You'd go out for College Night on Tuesday, and Ladies Night on Wednesday. You went out on Thursday's just because there was only one work day left, and you knew you could power through the hangover. Then there was Friday and Saturday night because, YAY WEEKEND!

Now you have kids that are involved in extra curricular activities which means taking them to practice and/or games, you work long hours, you have bills to pay for. The idea of sitting at home in your PJ's and having nothing to do on a Friday or Saturday night is now a welcome relief from the daily grind that is life. And it's glorious.

Hanging Out with Your Parents

The thought of willingly hanging out with your parents would have induced instant nausea in younger you. All they did was boss you around with their, clean-up-your-room, do-your-homework rules, while dishing out that sage advice of "wait until you have kids of your own someday." Pft, whatever.

Now you're older, you do have kids of your own, and you totally get everything they said. Meanwhile, you don't live with them anymore (ideally), freeing up their time to do whatever they want. And it turns out they're actually fun people. Who knew?

Buying Appliances

You don't realize how great appliances are until you don't have them. Tired of hand washing dishes? Purchasing a dishwasher that does the work for you will actually make you excited to clean up after dinner. The sound of water jets blasting food off your plates will be the best song you ever hear. The thought of no longer needing to save change for the laundromat because you have your very own washer and dryer at home is equal to the thought of being able to eat all the chocolate you want without gaining a pound.

Getting Clothes as Gifts

Is there anything worse as a kid than opening a present on your birthday or Christmas and seeing a pack of socks or underwear waiting inside? Where's the video game, or the hot new toy you wanted? It better be in another box somewhere, or there will be hell to pay. Hell I say!

Fast forward to adulthood and that same present is now a welcome sight because you've been too lazy (or cheap) to buy your own even though the ones you're wearing are so worn out you'd get more support from a wet newspaper.

If you're in your 20's and this list frightens you because you're afraid it's what you'll become as you get older, my advice is this — let it happen. It seems scary now, but trust me, it will be OK.