So much of work is just about pretending to be an adult

We want work to be this virtuous, important thing in our lives -- but in reality it's often just a place we go and pretend to be adults.

Back in May 2017, about a week after I moved out of the apartment my ex and I had shared and into my own new space, I wrote this article about the concept of "adulting." I had just bought a $124 tool set on Amazon so that I had wrenches and the like, as well as some toiletries. So I was feeling pretty adult on this new journey, I must say! I was 36, by …