One day you’re 18-years-old, and your only worries in the world are: sports, breezing through high school, your friends, and what kind of trouble you’re going to get into on Friday night. Then, you’re 20-years-old, and your only worries in the world are: passing your college classes, if eating the leftover pizza that has sat out for 3 days if safe, and still wondering what kind of trouble you can get in on Friday night. The four years of high school and the four years of college are here and gone quicker than a blink, a breath, or the money that you have in your bank account. You live your life day in and day out of those long yet so short eight years, and then, all of a sudden college graduation is knocking at the door of your unclean room to let you know that this is it. You’re about to be thrown out into the real world. A full blown adult.
ADULT?! Adult. How in this world am I supposed to be an adult? What do adults do? What do adults even look like?
At the ripe, old age of 22, I can’t even begin to answer these questions. Legally, I’ve been in “adulthood” for 4 whole years. Yet, when something happens, I still look for an adult even though I am the “adult.” I need someone with more adult experience. A more “adult” adult.
While I’ve come to master living partially on my own throughout my years in college, even the thought of someday being the more “adult” adult that I look for more frequently than I’d like to admit is terrifying to me. Like, one day I’m going to have a career. One day, I’m going to be someone’s wife. One day, I’m going to be someone’s mother. One day, I’m going to have a house, a mortgage, bills, and three dogs to feed. I mean.. what?! BEYONCE, CAN YOU PAY MY BILLS? CAN YOU PAY MY TELEPHONE BILLS? CAN YOU PAY MY AUTOMO’ BILLS? I’m just kidding. But, really though, Beyonce, can you pay to feed my three dogs?
My point in all of this semi-freak-out, semi-mental-breakdown, is this: if you’re 18 or younger, enjoy the absolute snot out of your life. Live it. Breathe it. Eat it up. Because, one day, entirely sooner than your precious, fun-loving mind might think, you’ll be here in this same hot mess that I am. Enjoy high school. Enjoy every single bit of high school from the homecomings to the proms to hanging out in the hallways. Enjoy your best friends before you inevitably have to go your separate ways. Enjoy never really having to think about money, a job, or what exactly it is that you want to do for the rest of your life. Enjoy college. Enjoy going out on a Wednesday night when you have class at 9:30 the next morning, because, right now, you’re able to bounce back so quickly. Enjoy all of the new people that you meet, and the new relationships and friendships that you make. Enjoy being able to learn about what you like, and learning about who you are.
Growing older seems to take the joy out of life, and, like the rest of us, you’ll soon be finding yourself out in the world contributing to society. Enjoy your life. It’s not horrible being a “grown up.” There are far better things in this big girl life than I ever could have imagined there would be when I was growing up. Don’t take any of it for granted though, because soon you’ll find yourself asking the same question that I am: How in the world have I made it here? Really. How?
