She imagined her twenties as in Sex and the City. With the modern apartment, the serious job, the beautiful wardrobe…
So what about adult life? On paper, Amélie Duplessis-Tellier is living the life she has always dreamed of. In reality, it’s a little more complicated. “It’s like I got to this standard that I set for myself and I realized that I wasn’t that ready, you know? ”, she thought out loud.
It’s a pleasant morning, without a cloud on the horizon. Sitting in the shade of a tree in an anonymous park in the South-West, the young woman sips coffee. At first impression, Amélie seems to belong to that rare category of people who have their lives in order before turning 25: a job in a large marketing agency, a master’s degree soon in hand, a renovated apartment with a terrace on the roof…
Does she feel as grown up as she looks? Amélie hesitates for a moment. In terms of first times, the last year has been busy: first apartment, first real job. Yes, she feels grown up, “more than ever” even, but she’s still adjusting to this new label.
Make no mistake: Amélie couldn’t wait to reach this stage of her life. When she was younger, she was the type to be interested in everything, to get involved in one project to launch into another. The law interested him. Politics and history too. The possibilities were endless, and that’s what was exciting.
At 24, it’s different. We realize that we have to make choices, the right ones, and the first time, preferably. We realize that there is no one to show us the way, no one to blame but ourselves.
Being an adult means taking full responsibility for your future. “For me, that’s what’s scary. You are left to your own devices. It’s up to you to take control of your life,” says Amélie. To pay the bills, to make appointments, but also to choose your dreams, to set your limits. “You become who you want to become. If you have a dream, there is no one stopping you from achieving it except you,” she emphasizes.
A few months ago, Amélie left the family nest to move in with her boyfriend. This is undoubtedly a decisive step in the life of a young adult, which marks both his emancipation and the end of a chapter.
This is a sometimes underestimated aspect of the transition to adulthood: grieving the loss of the only life known so far. For Amélie, the transition was not easy.
Obviously she likes to live with her boyfriend and she appreciates this new independence. But she also misses her parents. And feels a pang in her heart every time she leaves them after a visit.
Little by little, Amélie learns to make peace with her relationships which, inevitably, are transformed, because that is the nature of life, to change. And then, change doesn’t always have to be sad. Moving to an apartment allowed him to discover his parents in a new light and to appreciate their company “as equals”. “Things change and that’s okay. My biggest challenge is accepting to leave them behind,” she says.
It is sometimes said that life does things well. Amélie believes in it. She went exactly where she had imagined herself, with the serious job, the modern apartment. . Like in Sex and the City.
But reality is rarely as smooth as on TV. And becoming an adult brings up a lot of complex emotions. “I am extremely grateful. Everything is fine. But there’s a part of me that feels a little guilty for being sad, because it’s just beautiful, what’s happening, she concludes. It’s a challenge, but I’m really excited for the future. Because if I take control in my life, I can do anything. »
