Escape Adulthood

Live with Less Stress & More Fun

Archives for June 2016

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Krista Sobieski, June 2016 Adultitis Fighter of the Month

An Adultitis Fighter is someone who rallies against rules that don't exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. Once a month, we shine a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. Krista Sobieski is always working to improve the lives of the children and families she works with, as well as making positive changes in her own, which is not something Adultitis takes kindly to. It would prefer that we accept the status quo, and just keep doing what we've always done. Fortunately Krista is a woman of action. Adultitis-fighting action. One of the things that first inspired us about Krista was the time she invented a mascot for her childcare center. His name is Petey the Pig, and he spreads fun and cheer wherever he goes (he even has his own Facebook page!). On top of that, she is one of …

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2016 Escape Adulthood Summit Recap

The theme for the 2016 Escape Adulthood Summit was "Up, Up, and Away." Our aim was to help people rise above the noise of the everyday and look at their life from a new perspective. Inspired by superheroes, our theme worked on two levels. The first was to help people identify their own superpowers and empower them to share them with the world. We reminded them that our best superpowers are often the things about us that we most take for granted, and while it’s easy to think they are insignificant, they can have a giant impact. While previous Summits have been held in Madison, this time we opted for a more remote location about 20 miles away, nestled among the cornfields of south central Wisconsin. We were inspired by a scene in the second Avengers movie, when Captain America, Iron Man, and friends made Hawkeye's farm their safe house. We figured that a secluded location was perfect for underscoring our own need to recharge our batteries, hammer the dents out of …

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The Thing About Getting New Glasses

It was time for new glasses. Besides being over four years old, my frames were one kid bump away from total obliteration. We went to a cool place on State Street in Madison. I was confident I’d be able to find something unique. Two minutes into our exploration, I was not so sure. Styles change quite a bit in four years, and none of the fifteen frames the dude recommended impressed me. They bordered on hate. I swear that they got some of the styles directly from 1992. The clear plastic bus windshield frames were not cool when I was a sophomore in high school, and no trendy designer is going to convince me that they’re cool today. I was prepared to walk out of there with no glasses, resolved to make friends with duct tape if my current pair bit the dust. I didn’t think I was asking for too much. I merely wanted something similar to what I already had, but different. It’s kind of like how some people prefer their change: I’ll take a little bit, but not too much. Matt told …

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Meet Misty Parrish

The Small Rebellion is a playful group of escape artists who share a joyful, indomitable childlike spirit and are not afraid to let that spirit come out to play! They’re united by a common goal of fighting Adultitis and the doo-doo heads who embrace its ideals. Quite frankly, they’re pretty much the coolest people on the planet. Here's one right now... • My name is...Misty Parrish, although Misty is a nickname that my family has called me my entire life. My mom was going to name me Misty Dawn but my grandpa told her he would call me “foggy morning” and he would have. Even though my mom named me Melissa, because my family called me Misty, he still called me “foggy.” There are so many pictures to choose from I finally settled on one with my little sister (she's in the black shirt) and although it is the most mild picture of fun we have it was one that was more recent. • My hometown is...Sullivan, Illinois and I have lived here my entire life and honestly have trouble even …

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Wonder Aimlessly

Summer ain’t what it used to be. At the risk of sounding like a crotchety old man a few decades early, the summers of my youth were not packed wall-to-wall with extracurricular affairs. Yes, there was Little League, but the days were long enough to accommodate no small number of other “aimless” pursuits. Playing home run derby in the tennis court with my friends. Exploring the ravine near my house as a pint-sized Indiana Jones. Sorting and displaying my baseball cards, and then drawing my own. It was the opportunity to freely explore the things that fascinated me, without the prospect of a bell ringing in my ear telling me when to stop. I could follow my own curiosity, tugging on the proverbial thread that leads from one thing to another and then another, in a way that strict 50-minute periods don’t look kindly upon. This ability to “wonder aimlessly” is a valuable thing. It is the heart and soul of tinkering and the key to a happy, fulfilling life. It’s also something we …

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It’s a Free Spin!

I had to run into the grocery store to pick up an ingredient for a meal I was preparing. I was in a hurry. On my way out, an employee from a local bank asked me if I wanted to “take a spin” on a wheel set up next to her table as part of some promotion. “No thanks,” I said, as politely as I could. “But it’s free!” came the reply, as if she had just given me an answer that had no credible rebuttal. Although I didn't say it out loud, in my head, I responded, “No it’s not..." Just because something is free, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a cost. I regularly say yes to very good offers that I shouldn’t be saying yes to. Invitations for coffee, opportunities to make some side cash, or requests to donate time for a good cause. These by themselves are worthwhile things, but they cost me time that I could be spending on better things. An afternoon having coffee with a new friend is an afternoon I can’t spend at the zoo sketching animals with my daughter. Time spent on a side …

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Leftover Scraps Aren’t Good Enough

I recently read an article about a celebrity chef. In it, he talked about his nightly ritual with his wife: “At around 11:30 or 12:00, we talk. Not just, 'How are you?’ I like to have a soulful conversation with her, a meaningful conversation. And then after that, I fall asleep within two seconds. I am just beat. I am beat." I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Are you freaking kidding me? A soulful conversation? At midnight?! In which you are so "alert" that you fall asleep within two seconds of having it? Granted, I am not in the room with them, but I'd love to ask the wife just how meaningful these late-night conversations are for her. Look, everyone says they have their priorities in order. "Family first!" is the familiar cry. But Adultitis is eternally tempting us to let our focus slide to other things. Our pride and ambitions can drive us to chase wealth, status, and adulation, often at the expense of the people we care about the most, while we expertly rationalize …

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