"You've Been Grinding Your Teeth."

At the Dentist

I went to the dentist this past month for a teeth cleaning. I've always been told that I had very nice, pretty teeth. However, this visit was different. "You've been clenching and grinding your teeth," said the dentist. My jaw dropped. In my head I was thinking, "No way! This has never been an issue. What the heck?" Then, the dentist asked me if I was stressed. On the drive home, I pondered my stress (which was very easy for me to pin point). 

There is an idea and expectation that plagues my mind: "You need to be on your own when you finish college. Independent. Self sufficient. An adult." I think I've heard this my whole life. In fact, this idea of independence has been rolling around my head since I started Kindergarten. 

 Having an income is a necessity. To get a job, you have to have experience. When you get a job, you have to have an address. In order to rent a place to stay, you have to have proof of income. To travel to and from your job, you need a car or some type of transportation. The car uses gas. The car needs to be insured. The rental property needs to be insured. There are start up fees for all utilities: electricity, water, sewer, trash, gas, internet, cable, and whatever else you have. 

Then you decide that what you really need is a better job. The better jobs require higher degrees. Master's Degrees. Specialized Degrees. So you apply to graduate school. You have pretty good grades from college, so you get a scholarship. But wait! The scholarship can only go towards full time students. If you do school full time, you can't work full time; you must work part time. Part time jobs don't have any benefits like health insurance and dental... 

Conclusion: Life is hard, expensive, and stressful. 

I'm not really sure how most people do life without being in debt. I've been trying my best to do life without taking out student loans and racking up credit card bills. I'm hoping that a day will come where I don't have to live from paycheck to paycheck- a day where I won't grind my teeth in my sleep. Until then, I will press forward and make sure to wear my night-guard.