real prepared.

something i have recently noticed about myself is that i like to feel prepared.
now, i mean this in a very specific area of life.
i don't really care about being prepared for my fourth period history test (i can make up a bad grade by turning all my homework in on time).
i don't care about keeping an emergency earthquake kit in my garage. (crank-powered FM radio? who really needs that?)

but i do feel the need to stock up on tips. life lessons. things to know when i'm a fresh college student, then when i'm married and need to do my taxes. i want to be ready.

this is why i read real simple magazine. yes, i read it for its beautiful layout and great sentence structure (honestly, their syntax is phenomenal.), but mind you, "real simple" is a magazine for women. as in, 40 year old working mothers who have a mortgage to pay. it is full of helpful articles and tips, like how to balance your job and your kids, or how to save money when buying a dishwasher, or how to remove wine stains from silk, or which age-defying foundation is the best for your skin type.

i, a sixteen year old girl, do not need to know any of this. but i ingest it all anyways so that when i am a 34 year old who wears heels every day, needs to know what a credit score is, and wants the most sylish (yet lowest priced) diaper bag, i will be so ready. because i stocked up on tips when i was sixteen.

i mean, i'm not obsessive about it. i don't clip out the articles and keep them in files for each decade of my future. but i just enjoying feeling like i'll be really well-prepared for the minor details in life. i'll have a leg up on my competition, if you will.

and i am also aware that growing up is making mistakes and learning and gaining life experience, et cetera. i know, i know. but being aware of the "10 secrets of an unflappable working mom" (great article, great tips) is just that little something i can pretend i'll remember when i'm in my 30s.

so, if you'll excuse me, i literally have the march issue of real simple laying half-open on my couch. the next article up is entitled, "feeling hormonal?" and the subheadline "how these chemicals affect your body and mind in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. (and how to keep them in check.)"

that is honestly something i am eager to read. so that when i'm 46 and feeling weird i'll know why.