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.
Christine Fader is one of our newest Escape Adulthood Insiders, but she made quite a first impression. An email goes out to every new subscriber welcoming them into the tribe, making sure they got the first message, and checking to see if there are any topics that we can write about that might be helpful. Christine’s response back included this opening:
“Thank you for including me in your Escape Adulthood gang. I am a recovering adult who, after a misspent childhood and youth of Being Incredibly Obedient and Playing It Safe, has started wearing large, felt flowers on my hats (and wearing hats!) and driving around in my vintage clown car (1970 Fiat 500) watching people smile.
I keep doing these things, no matter how much they make my mother scrunch her face up in a way that will probably stick like that someday.”
It was clear that we had a top notch Adultitis Fighter in our midst. Christine is from Canada, and I didn’t know anything about her background, but I suspected that many people can relate to the idea of being a “recovering adult” and having a history of “being incredibly obedient and playing it safe.” After doing a little more research, it was clear that there was much to be learned from Christine, and we just love her creative way of looking at life. (She is also a very entertaining writer, as you’ll see if you follow the links below.)
In recognition of their efforts, Adultitis Fighters of the Month receive a special mini-canvas hand-painted by Jason, along with a certificate of honor, a sweet patch, and other Adultitis-Fighting tools. We asked Christine some questions about how she fights the Big A and what advice she has for others…
What are some of your favorite ways to fight Adultitis?
My absolute favourite way to fight Adultitis is swinging high and with indignant or joyous ferver on board swings (not the pinchy-bum kind that is in most parks nowadays, although they will work in a….er….pinch).
Who or what has been the greatest influence in your own fight against Adultitis?
My 1973 VW Beetle, Daizybug. I couldn’t drive for over 15 years due to a health condition and my fighting-Adultitis-every-day husband insisted we buy my dream car, once I got my license back. Driving that car with the sunroof open and watching adults and even babies wave and smile at us as we drove by was a GREAT inspiration to fight Adultitis and help me spread the vaccination against it, everywhere we went!
What is something you loved doing as a child that you still do in some form today?
Something I loved doing as a child was making a clubhouse…even if my dolls were the only members of the club. I still do this constantly in various forms including cozying up in our vintage 1974 Boler travel trailer.
What is your strategy for dealing with people who are obviously infected with Adultitis?
My strategy for dealing with adults who are obviously infected with Adultitis is, to run away. Okay, not every time. I’m getting braver as I get older. I try to make them smile…or at least scrunch up their nose at me in a way that shows me that they’re discombobulated a bit. Discombobulation is a great antidote for Adultitis. The wife of a friend of mine has a serious case of Adultitis and when I told her I was writing a book for adults about fairies, she scrunched up her nose and said, “You mean, like boats?” and I said, “No, like wings.” She was thoroughly discombobulated. Score one against Adultitis!
What advice do you have for someone who is feeling overwhelmed by Adultitis?
Advice for someone feeling overwhelmed? Give yourself a break. Fighting Adultitis is hard. Don’t beat yourself up. But, stop and have some cookies. Or a swing. Or wiggle your toes in the grass for a couple of minutes. Watch for the small moments of beauty and fun in life. They’re everywhere and it will help. Honest.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m sure I’m already past my time and the orchestra has been playing me off stage for a while now.. :) Yours in Kraft Dinner and other radioactive delights!
Congrats to Christine Fader, August 2017 Adultitis Fighter of the Month. Thank you for making the world more awesome!