The never ending transition into adulthood

Shortly after Scott and I first were married, we found ourselves going through the motions of newlywed life and I remember being so nerdily excited when we purchased life insurance. Yes, life insurance. I was also nerdily excited about having health care coverage, a 401K plan, and our very own apartment. Let's dissect this, shall we? Life insurance is money you pay into the vast black hole of the financial world on the off chance that you die during the policy time frame, in which case you get money back. What a morbid concept. I no longer dare to look at our 401K for fear that we may end up owing people money on it (Troubled Assets Relief Program, anyone?), and our apartment? Ghetto fabulous to say the least. But I was excited about these things because to me, they were symbolic of crossing some imaginary threshold from "almost a grownup" to full blown adulthood. Because, let's face it, when you're in college, you might feel independent, but you're safely sequestered from the real world during those wonderful years in which your calling in life is to get smarter. I might have thought I was entering adulthood after getting married, however, I'm quickly coming to realize that it's an extremely long threshold to cross. The last few years have been spent in a kind of suspended animation when it comes to adult life, given the fact that I was still in school. This meant we couldn't move anywhere, explore new job opportunities, buy a house, or anything along those lines because we were temporarily and unavoidably stuck. That landscape is quickly changing, and in a startling turn of events, we now find ourselves grappling with these very questions in a much more immediate fashion now that unexpected job prospects have arisen. We are exploring the possibility of a cross country move, which, while it has never really been the plan to stay in Oregon, is quite a daunting prospect, mainly because it's all happening so fast. How will we work out the timing? Should we rent, or try to buy a house? Can we afford to maintain two residences during the interim? Are we ready for this??? I graduate in a little over a month, meaning it's time to take yet another step into Adulthoodland. This excites me a great deal, but at the same time, there is the slightest hint of apprehension. I will miss Oregon, which surprises me a great deal. I will miss the friends I have made here. I will not miss law school. No, not one bit. I find myself torn between the desire to move on with life, and the realization that these big changes mean turning the page on the current chapter of my life. For all the law school misery, there has been much about it worth remembering fondly. There is always a nameless sense of loss that accompanies the transition period between the now and the not so far away. But I look forward to the adventures that surely await.