Adulting Stories

a bit of a autobiographical work, written in the form of a diary, littered with my own itty bitty struggles of daily life as well as my occasional triumphs . the cover is my octopus, simon. i think i lost him somewhere.

Anja Serafin is stuck at being 17. After almost four years of full-time confinement at home due to pandemic. Now that the lockdown is no longer enforced in their community she is having trouble reconnecting and continuing her life outside the four corners of her comfort zone. Her last role she remembered was her being a twelfth grader applying for multiple university admissions. Without doubt, the world did not ever stop revolving, and her present-time return is supposedly about entering her fourth year in college. Anja knew she couldn't just simply take up where she left off. When she feels like her clock has an obvious time jump from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic. She is still adjusting to what is in front of her and preparing for what is ahead of her. While also trying to understand what happened during the time her timeline appeared to skip. She has to take steps to live her life, and the only allowable direction is moving forward. The first step for Anja to make things happen is acceptance. Truly easier said than done, as it will also get her tangled up in being a mother to a five-year-old boy.

Amara Dela Merced, a former high-powered executive, trades her corporate life for the quiet simplicity of the Philippine countryside, investing half of her inheritance given by her mother, into opening a small, heartfelt tea shop. Her new venture is quitely located near a home for senior citizens, a place that unexpectedly becomes the center of her life's purpose. As Amara navigates pursuing her dream business, she finds an unexpected friendly connection with her former corporate assistant, who agrees to manage the property, left by her mother. Her life is further complicated and enriched by two very different situation: the wisdom of a senior resident who survived the Japanese invasion as a comfort woman, whose memories ingrain the air with history and resilience; and the constant, irritating presence of a handsome, yet persistently annoying man who keeps crossing her path. "The Scent of Memory and Tea" is a story of slice-of-life, healing, and transformation, where the aroma of brewing leaves unseals deep-rooted memories, and a city-dweller finds an unexpected family among the past, present, and the prickly charm of a local annoyance. Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ava Kingston didn't move to Seoul to be anyone's prize-she came to build a life in her own silhouette. On day one, two very different boys notice: Seo Jihoon, a composed model‑actor with a smile that quiets rooms, and Park Minjae, an idol rapper whose baritone can set a stage on fire. What starts in school hallways refuses to fade; it grows up with them through late‑night rehearsals, movie sets, fashion runways, and the messy, beautiful ordinary moments that make a life. Hearts tangle. Ambition tests loyalty. And desire keeps asking for one more chance. A slow‑burn AMBW/KMBW Korean romance about timing, boundaries, found family, and choosing yourself while your heart is choosing too. ©️ _RelleLebby_// R. L.

New York City, 1985. Sequel to A Foot In The Door. Gerry finally landed the promotion he wanted-and a new life with Mary. But balancing love, ambition, and a job where one bad circuit can cost millions isn't easy. Caught between old-school techs with pot breaks and war stories, and a fast-paced digital future, Gerry has to figure out where he belongs... before everything changes. All characters appearing in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to characters living or dead is purely coincidental.

Aastha's first job lands her in Ahmedabad - smack in the middle of adulting chaos. Dry chapatis for lunch, rushed mornings, and somehow still late to work despite waking up on time. All she wants? To survive the grind of office hours, burnt dinners, and crushing expectations. Karjun Shah runs Shah Enterprises like clockwork - sleeves rolled up, silver wristwatch gleaming, and not a hair out of place. Stern, composed, the perfect CEO... until he's home. There, he's just Kaju -the steady heart of a noisy, loving Gujarati household that refuses to let him be anything but human. Neither planned this. But Aastha keeps catching glimpses of his silhouette and falling a little harder each time. Karjun can't ignore the new drafter with too many things in her tote and an uncanny way of softening his world. Love doesn't always arrive with fireworks. Sometimes, it tiptoes in - slow, steady, and unstoppable. All images/pictures belong to their rightful owners. I do not own any. Thank you. Have fun reading! Started: 30/05/2025 Word count: 70,000

(Tagline: A Decade-Long Wait... for a Single "I'm Sorry"?) Phú Thiên is a Structural Engineer. He lives strictly by logic, data, and formulas. Nine years ago, Ánh Nga was the light that healed the self-doubting Thiên. Yet, with a single, devastating refusal, she locked his heart away behind cold, hard numbers: "I'm sorry, I'm not brave enough to be your girlfriend." That rejection became the only "system error" Thiên couldn't erase for nearly a decade. Nine years later, he returns. He doesn't come with a romantic declaration. He arrives armed with absolute perseverance and meticulous care for every small detail. He uses the formula of reason to painstakingly rebuild the broken bridge of love. She remains barricaded within her own "perfect formula," consumed by a deep-seated fear of change and losing control of her life. The battle this time is not for Thiên to convince her to love him-but for Nga to break free from her safe shell and finally find herself. The Question Remains: Can absolute logic and patience overcome the fear that has frozen a heart? And what is it about Nga that is worth a decade of unanswered waiting for a man who lives by data? Follow Thiên's journey as he attempts to persuade the "system error" of his life.

My daily life journal of reflections and realizations for mental cleansing and healing.

Maya Hawke has one rule: start every day with a smile, even when her life is a certified dumpster fire wearing lip gloss. Her job is unstable, her apartment is one minor breeze away from collapsing, and she's convinced her plants are plotting against her, but she wakes up every morning believing today will be amazing. And honestly? Sometimes optimism is enough. But everything changes when one tiny, harmless moment-one bumped shoulder, one shared joke, one accidentally stolen pen-sets off a chain of events she absolutely did not schedule on her colour-coded mental calendar. It's not love at first sight. It's not fate. It's just... life. Happening. Beautifully, inconveniently, hilariously. And for the first time, Maya might be okay with a little mess she didn't create herself.

These are my messy thoughts, my deepest feelings, and the short personal reflections I carved silently beneath my fearful heart.

Aude has a plan. Sort of. Survive business school, be more mature, keep things casual with the boy she's definitely not in love with, and absolutely, under no circumstances, fall for the arrogant finance guy she interned with in Greece. Easy. Except her year in Nantes has other ideas: There are too many parties she doesn't remember agreeing to, suspiciously flirty chats, and way too many moments that feel like coupledom, but aren't. Not officially. As friendships shift and feelings get messy, Aude finds herself growing up in ways she never planned, and realizing that the people who change us the most aren't always the ones who stay. Sharp, funny, and quietly devastating, this is a story about love, timing, and the chaos of becoming who you are, one awkward text at a time. - - - - - - - - Cover found on Pinterest TWS : Talks about mental health Songs and lyrics go to their rightful owners

Small town girl, Madison Taylor, lands her dream job at a boutique Manhattan marketing/branding firm and is romanced by the agency's biggest client. Her boss, the devil in Jimmy Choos, pressures her to escalate the relationship in order to keep the client happy. Maddy's life is further complicated when her quirky ex-boyfriend pops up, convinced that their reconnection wasn't a coincidence, but a Christmas miracle.

Prologue "But it would've been fun if you would've been the one" Mew and Gulf meet each other again after their breakup 4 years ago. Based on Taylor Swift's song, the 1. This is my second AU and compared to the first one, this is just a SUPER short one. I hope you like it ❤❤

What if your life is a mess and you hate it so much that you just want to leave? However, an opportunity comes knocking, offering you a way to escape your life in a way you never imagined. Would you take it?

I always knew that friendships came and went. We have friends- maybe best friends- for certain times of our lives. They're there and then they're not, and you don't really mind because you're the same thing to them- someone for some time, and then no one at all. We have the 'kindy' friends, the primary besties, the high school bunch, and then the Uni acquaintances. Now, I'm not saying none of these people last, but it's rare. Because when your sifting your life from one stage to the other, not much falls through. But there's always the exception, the odd ones that slip by and weave their way back into your life. In my case, through an out of the blue phone call and unexpected invitation.

A wilted flower is still beautiful no matter what you could've done to it. How does it stay so? What are the hidden screams of chaos that a one-wilted flower can have? They harboured feelings, their deepest desires and their true soul. What is true and what is not? What's under the soiled pot? What are the feelings that are harboured so and deemed to be untitled? This book is a short text of my feelings, my insanity, and my rendezvous. Cover editor: ARTEMISIS Original picture source: https://pin.it/4q2b5FO (Pinterest)

There were things in life that nobody will teach us, but we have to discover them on our own, things that we will discover once we truly understand the meaning and purpose of life. 😊

As I enter adulthood things are getting more and more chaitoc. This is what happens when a 40 year old teen tried to comprehend the world around her. #14 in #Adulting #49 in #bookofpoems

Welcome to the chaotic middle ground of "almost there but not quite." The Irony in Adulting is your unapologetic guide through the hilarious, frustrating, and oddly poetic mess that is growing up - when you're still treated like a child but expected to function like a full-blown adult. Through witty rants, late-night realizations, and painfully relatable anecdotes, this book cracks open the contradictions of modern adulthood: being told to "take your time" but also "hurry up," being praised for independence yet scolded for not doing things "their way." This isn't a self-help book - it's a survival diary. A mirror that laughs with you, cries with you, and whispers, "you're not crazy - it really is this ironic." Perfect for anyone navigating their twenties (or any age that feels like it's stuck between "still figuring it out" and "should've figured it out by now"). Because if adulting won't make sense... at least let it make you laugh.

Life is full of tiny tasks that somehow feel huge. Ordering food? Terrifying. Calling a stranger? Unthinkable. Approaching the front desk? Please no. Little Moments, Big Nerves is your down-to-earth guide to getting through the everyday moments that make anxious people sweat. With step-by-step walkthroughs, scripts you can actually use, and plenty of ideas, this handbook helps you navigate real-world scenarios. It's not about being perfect, it's about feeling prepared.