Never did I imagine at twenty-four that I'd relate and look up to young women who are still in their teens than I would to people in their thirties. Yet as I found myself working alongside teenagers, who would go on to be my supervisors, I found that these girls are people who I respect and admire. This isn't one of those times where a Millennial looks down on someone younger than her because of their age as being young, immature, and stupid; and then realizing that teenagers are more than capable to be successful adults. No, this has more to do with me and my emotional level than the lovely teenagers I work with.

I always considered myself immature for my age, and in fact it's not something that's bothered me on a regular day-to-day basis. I know that unlike my peers, I'm not ready to have a "real" 9-5 job, get married, have kids, and have full-blown hobbies and a social life that involves dinner parties. I'm more than okay working four days a week, watching Hulu alone with a bag of chips, and texting my boyfriend while he's at his own house. Because the truth is all the "adult stuff" that everyone views as successful, sounds dull and boring to me. I can honestly say I have no idea what I want to do with my life and that is okay. Not everyone is cut out to be successful. Some of us are barely surviving, and will never be thriving. I am still in the stage of my life where I thrive on going on vacations I can barely afford, love getting tattoos, and want to dye my hair bright colors. Just last night, my coworker Dani- a eighteen year old- told me I shouldn't dye my hair purple because I am in the stage of life where I'm looking for a real professional job. And I agreed with her, despite knowing deep down that I am anything BUT professional.

It's scary to think that in six years I'll be thirty and that I'm no closer to having my life figured out now than I was when I was Dani's age. That next year Dani will be in college and figuring out what she wants to do for the rest of her life, when I haven't even figured it out. And I know one day, she'll be in a professional setting and be killing it as a successful adult, but will I ever? I don't like to think about my future much because it scares me. It scares me that maybe I'll never be successful and will always be a failure. But I also know that putting pressure on myself to live up to the standards that society has for me, isn't healthy either. So what if I only work part-time at a dead end job? So what if I live with my parents? I hope one day I'll have a "real" job and can live on my own, but until then I have to comfortable with where I am at, or how else will I survive? Yet I can't help but sometimes feel that I am so far behind and that I'll never catch up. That's why I love going to work because at work, all those doubts and insecurities about myself fade away. At work I am greeted by some of the kindest souls I've ever met and through my shift with them, I am reminded how loved and appreciated I am.

While most of the time I feel like a failure for where I'm at in life, when I go to work the girls I work with are always able to put a smile on my face. They make me laugh and being their co-workers brings me such joy. We always are able to joke around while getting work done and we always praise each other for little tasks we achieve throughout the night. The night speeds by when we work together. I love how smart these girls are. They are book smart in the way they study in between rushes and are street smart in the way they have it figured out how to sneak out of their homes without their parents being the wiser. They have a plan figured out in case dates go south and a plan on how to pass their classes. I look at where they are in life, with the world at their feet and I can't wait to see the women they become. I am so proud of them and I admire them so much.

I look forward to seeing their bright faces at work and I hope to always have their infectious energy in my life. I'm very lucky. I'm reminded of one of my favorite songs called "One Thing Right" whose lyrics are "I've been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Chasin' all the wrong things most of my life. Been every kinda lost that you can't find but I got one thing right. Been the kind of guy girl's mamas don't like. Runnin' with the wrong crowd on the wrong nights 'Cause I've been wrong about a million times but I got one thing right, you". This lyric resonates with me because for all the things in my life I am doing wrong, the one thing I've got right is these girls. So to these young precious girls I work with, thank you for being in my life and I hope you'll always be in my life because you've saved me and continue to save me in ways you'll never know. I love you to the moon and back.