It feels like it happened overnight. Like yesterday we were going outside for recess and today we're swiping our credit cards. People say not to grow up too fast, to stay young forever, and to enjoy life. But those statements are false, they fail to prepare you for reality. You can’t stop life one day because you’re hungover. You can’t hit the pause button because you’re scared of the future. You simply don’t have that much power.
I remember being in middle school and my teachers saying that it goes by fast. Then in high school when they insisted that the four years would fly by. Every adult I encountered seemed to wish they could be young again. At the time I didn't understand, all I wanted to do was sit at 'the grown up table' and to stay out one hour later with friends. I didn't feel like I was the lucky one.
We’ve been warned our whole life to pay attention. The expressions “life goes on” or “don’t blink” are uttered constantly, but you never really listen to them. Eventually the time comes when the collaged childhood bedroom of posters and beanie babies becomes an empty college dorm room. When papers and tests are traded for car payments and taxes. When a hug from your sister becomes a phone call. When Uggs become heels and sweatpants become dress pants. When your dog becomes a photo on the wall.
We all tried to grow up fast, too fast. But now we are the grown ups, the ones we once looked up too. We are now older than the girls we admired buying party dresses at the mall, than the teenage boy speeding through the red light, older than the frantic college interns at the pediatrician’s office. The independence that comes with growing up that we once yearned for, we now have.
We’ve grown both figuratively and literally. It’s the process impossible to escape and it seems the more you resist it, the harder it is. Our needs, wants and desires changed. With time we adopted new ideas, altered responsibilities and learned ultimately to accept.
Growing up is natural; we’re not supposed to be the same person as when we were at 2, 18 or 50. Our bodies change, our thoughts evolve; our opinions form; our actions mature. The lessons we learned in elementary school still apply and the ones we learned in high school still don’t. The real world doesn’t care if you know the formulas for geometric shapes or can recite the periodic table. But the rules to say sorry or to determine when it’s appropriate to talk still do matter.
Unfortunately growing up doesn’t come with a rule book dictating the consequences of your decisions. There’s no step-by-step manual on life. As we get older, life becomes more complicated, problems can no longer be fixed with milk and cookies, or a timeout in the corner.
In the midst of an ‘adult’ crisis, there are days when I wish my biggest worry was which cartoon to watch and feel sorry for the generations that miss the greatness of Lizzie McGuire, the deliciousness of Dunkaroos and the originality of AIM. There are days when I wish I could go back to the simplicity of being younger and when I didn't have to be the 'mature adult' in the situation.
And with age come the unfamiliar challenges forcing us to explore outside of our comfort zone. We mature each and every day. It will occur regardless, so make the most of it, embrace the journey that allows us to discover who we truly are
Growing up is accompanied by a great deal of responsibilities, but as the responsibilities grow, so do the freedoms. One day you look back and the changes you’ve made become apparent. That coloring time was replaced with parties; that orange juice gained a friend in champagne, and nap time, well the only way that grew was in duration.That no matter how old we get we all still need a place to call home. That no matter how far away we are, we all still need our Moms when we are sick. That no matter how much we grow up, we all still need a hug when we are vulnerable. That no matter the occasion, we all still need a good laugh during a celebration.
At 20, there are times I feel old enough to make my own decisions but at the same time, I feel like I am not even old enough to cross the street without holding someone’s hand.
They never warn you that suddenly, without you ever noticing, someday becomes today. That nothing is certain except for today. That there aren’t always right answers. That friendship isn’t forever. That nothing really is.
I’m scared to think that one day it will all be over. That high school will be a jagged memory. That college will fade to bits and pieces. That our wedding will be a photo album. That our first house will be an experience and that Christmases will be remembered through cards in a box. That one day we will be the grandparent’s, sitting at our grandchild’s graduation and reminiscing on the younger days.
But of all the things they forgot to warn us about, growing up the greatest is that you learn. You learn to always carry Tylenol; that people come and go, that happiness is no one else's concern, that no one cares more about your happiness than you. They forget to tell you that the greatest lesson you learn is how to save yourself.
We never stop growing, from our first breathe of life to our last. But remember this, no matter the time, your age or maturity level, never forget who you are on the inside. Never forget where you came from, the morals you were raised with, the values instilled upon you, your roots; never forget who you are.
