This is 30: Road Trip Revelations from a Confirmed Adult

They say life comes at you fast, but that’s not entirely true. The maturation process is a slow one, particularly for an immature blogger, like myself. Over the years one slowly transforms from a stinky teenager, to a disgusting college student and finally into a (somewhat) responsible adult.

It’s difficult to see it from the outside looking in, until you are presented with a scenario that puts your life into a vacuum. After spending most of the last two years at home during the pandemic, the first lengthy road of my 30s showed how just how dramatically my life has changed, manifesting in hotel room habits.

Hanging Clothes

They call it living out of a suitcase for a reason. Eight years ago I would have scoffed at the notion of doing anything otherwise, yet when I stared at my luggage, I could not resist the urge to unpack. A handful of shirts hung neatly from the hotel closet, until three unworn items were almost left behind.

Using the Trash Can

“Throwing away the trash” is a basic human function at home, but not in a hotel room. Stacking beer cans and throwing wrappers on the floor is a release of sorts. Like Kevin McAllister in Home Alone 2, if you don’t have anyone there to tell you to clean up, there’s absolutely no reason to clean up. After all, that’s why they housekeepers have a job.

That is a sound line of thinking for a slob in their early 20s. As a wise 30-year-old adult, messiness is no longer tolerated.

Making the Bed

Once again, they pay the housekeepers for a reason, why make the bed? That logic no longer supersedes the involuntary urge to tidy things up before getting to work.

A switch has officially been flipped. I do not know when it happened or what caused it to take place. Was it simply the passing of time? Does parenthood change you that much? Those are questions I cannot confidently answer.

Truck Stop Heaven

As a young reporter, off the record conversations typically revolved around the upcoming opponent, school or the best night life spots. This year I spent time away from the podium discussing traffic, prompting a recommendation from Chris Rodriguez: Bucc-ee’s. I saw the billboards, but they never piqued my curiosity enough to make a stop. Thanks to the UK running back, I had my eyes opened wide to a place unlike any other on Earth.

There were at least 100 gas pumps surrounding the building. Once inside, long lines moved fast as customers purchased BBQ, t-shirts, potato salad, bath mats, fountain drinks, monogrammed hand towels and kitschy signs. The staff operated at a breakneck pace, keeping the store clean and the lines moving. It’s a modern marvel I still cannot wrap my brain around. Buc-ee’s, I will be back.

Never seen anything like it. Buc-ee’s lived up to the hype @CROD_JR. pic.twitter.com/I27zlEYRYP

— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) January 2, 2022

Not All Junk Food

Sandwiched between the holiday season and the New Year’s diet, there’s no better time to load up on late night Doritos and M&M’s. Plenty of chips and junk food were consumed, but something strange happened: I ate a salad three days in a row. Only an adult would willingly choose to eat vegetables when buffalo wings are an option.

The Thermostat

Behind every cliche is a grain of truth. A Dad’s command over the thermostat is a Hollywood trope because it’s a fun, relatable bit. Typically, that only applies at home, freezing out the rest of the family on the road. “I’m not paying their utility bill,” was a previously held mindset, until I hit 30. The thermostat was touched every time I entered and exited the room, ensuring no amount of AC was wasted. This is 30.