All I ever hear people talk about is how badly they wish they were kids again. After all, in the words of Andy from "The Office," we never seem to realize that we're in the good ole days before we've actually left them.
When we were little, all we wanted to do was grow up, but now, as we grow into our young adult years, we begin to feel all of the added pressure and stress that comes with getting older. We can't help but miss the days of the past, where everything seemed so simple and we saw the world through rose colored glasses. We can't help but feel nostalgic when we remember those Saturday mornings spent staring at the television, watching our favorite cartoon characters flash across the twelve inch TV screen while our lucky charms turned the milk green, and our moms screamed at us not to sit so close to the TV out of fear that we might make ourselves go blind and cross-eyed.
I know that those days were great. We all lived through them, and they will undoubtedly hold a special place in our hearts for the rest of our lives, but we all need to stop living in the past. We can never go back. Ever. No matter how hard we try, we will never be able to hit the rewind button and go back to that time in our lives...at least not until scientists discover the technology to create the remote control from "Click." When that day comes, I say go for it. Hit rewind all you want. However, that day is not today. Today we cannot hit pause, rewind, fast forward, or skip. All we have is the present, and we can only look to the future.
Yes, growing up can be scary... really scary. Eventually, we'll be completely on our own in the world, renting an apartment, paying our own utility bills, fostering new relationships, and making pot roasts for dinner. That's one of the hardest parts about growing up; giving up the lifestyle we're used to and moving on to something we're completely unfamiliar with. We're diving into uncharted waters here. It's okay to get nervous, but we should never be afraid of the future and what it holds for us. The fact that we're growing up shouldn't send us into a frenzied panic. It's inevitable.
We might as well take it like a champ and stop droning on about how much we wish we were five years old again, when our biggest responsibility was keeping the Play-Doh colors from mixing together. The process of growing up and maturing brings so many new and exciting things with it that a lot of people forget. Growing up means learning more about yourself and discovering your strengths and weaknesses. It means gaining the courage and confidence to try new things and explore new places. It means forming your own unique opinions based on new experiences, inquiring about new topics, and cultivating new interests and hobbies. It means having an open mindset, being able to put things into perspective, learning to take care of your body, and finding out what truly makes you happy. It means sometimes losing the people you love most only to form new bonds and create even better relationships with people that had never crossed your mind before.
People will come and go, and circumstances will pass, but such is life. Growing up isn't a bad thing, it's simply a new experience for most of us. As we mature, we'll undoubtedly face new problems- things that we have never had the opportunity to face before- but we'll make it through. It takes a lot of strength, grit, and courage to grow up and find out who you really are, but every single person has that courage within them.
