The Gap Decade

"A gap decade isn't a cute whim of a decision to take a pause and travel to Italy for a few months. Nah. A gap decade is a cluster of challenging, transitional years that the universe just dumps in your lap. And my lap. And pretty much everyone's lap. It's that twilight zone between 'young person' and 'full-blown adult' that sort of washes in, bringing with it a bit of chaos, growth, and self-discovery. It is a few years of flailing around, trying to figure out what the heck is happening as you move from not old to kinda old. From young adult to adult adult."

The gap decade is that sometimes difficult transitional season young adults face in their twenties and early thirties. In this quirky and honest chronicle, Katie Schnack names the awkward realities of living in that gap between adolescence and adulthood. She and her husband go on an unpredictable journey through a decade of never-ending transitions as they make multiple moves across five states, face job interviews and tax returns, and go through anxiety, loss, pregnancy, and countless episodes of The Office.* Along the way, Schnack explores the common experiences of these young adulting years: The uncertainty of waiting when you're stuck and don't know what steps to take. Learning to trust in God's provision when you are broke like a joke. Admitting your need for help when panic attacks strike. And discovering a life full of grace and joys that can't be ordered via two-day delivery.

*Katie has binged all nine seasons of The Office—four times. Don't do the math about how many hours of TV that is. She doesn't want to know.



Katie Schnack is a writer and book publicist. Her articles have appeared in such places as Relevant, Today.com, Hello Giggles, Romper, and Scary Mommy. She grew up in Minnesota playing duck duck gray duck, learned to say "bless your heart" in Texas, lived in a four-hundred-square-foot apartment in New York (okay, Jersey City, actually, but it was close enough to Manhattan), and has a love-hate relationship with Cheetos but is also oddly obsessed with spinach smoothies. Katie and her family now live in West Palm Beach, Florida, on an acre of land with five chickens, three goats, and a senior mini pony.

Prologue: Mind the Gap
Part One: The Waiting Game


1. Seasons of Waiting Are Hard


2. While You Wait, Eat Nachos and Hug Your Friends
Part Two: #Werk


3. It Is Okay to Change Your Mind. It Is Not Okay to Throw a Stapler Across the Office


4. God Didn't Unfollow You on Social Media


5. Embrace the Stuck
Part Three: Adulting Real Hard, Folks


6. Celebrate Tax Day (Yeah, You Read That Right)


7. Shut the Cupboards, Girl. But If You Forget, That's Okay Too


8. Getting Healthy Is Cool, I Guess
Part Four: Contentment and Peace


9. Make Peace with Your Roots. Hometown Roots, Not Hair Roots


10. Go Buy a White Plate at the Dollar Store


11. Learn to Leave the Past in the Past. Even If It Involves Christmas Cookies Being Less Delicious
Part Five: Marriage + Friendships


12. Making Marriage Work in a 400 Sq. Foot Apartment


13. Learn to Trust God's Provision When You Are Broke Like a Joke


14. Wait for God to Open the Door for You. Even If It Is a Different Door Than You Expected
Part Six: Mental Mental Health, Y'all


15. Say Hi to the Old Lady on the Porch


16. Free Yourself from the Shame Around Mental Health. Because Who Has Time for Shame Anymore


17. It Is Okay to See a Therapist. Bonus Points If Your Therapist May Be a Magical Ancient Wizard
Part Seven: Growing a Human Being


18. Sometimes You Try to Grow a Baby but Grow a Mustache Instead


19. You Can Be a Mom and Still Wear a Bikini (or Not). You Do You, Babe


20. Sometimes You Accidentally Have a Pink Thong Hanging Out of Your Shorts


21. Hey—You Can Do This!


Epilogue: Looking Back, Looking Forward


Acknowledgments


Discussion Questions

"'In between' is my least favorite place to be, and yet much of my twenties felt like living in an endless replay of Britney Spears singing, 'I'm not a girl, not yet a woman.' Katie invites us to walk through those years in her own life as she shares the ups and downs with wit, humor, and vulnerability. The gift of The Gap Decade is that in reading it, we find we weren't alone in that feeling, and those in-between years were more important than we realized at the time."



"Fresh, full of life, and fun! Katie weaves humor through the pain of the ever-changing seasons of life in a way that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Her vulnerability and comedic humor capture your heart. Soul good."



"Too many people go through their twenties feeling lonely, angsty, and uncertain. The Gap Decade shows us that these emotions are perfectly common, and we are not alone. With complete hilarity and brutal honesty, Katie Schnack not only normalizes the awkwardness that comes with 'adulting,' but she also inspires action; her willingness to tell the naked truth forces us to take hold of our own journeys and find hope in the struggle. Buckle up for some belly laughs—you won't want to put this book down!" weniger anzeigen expand_less