I sit in my favorite light blue armchair, looking out into the yard, which now has a for sale sign staked into it. A white furball darts into my line of sight and commences barking at a chatty squirrel. It wasn't long ago that a similar furball darted around the yard; that one was a different color and responded to a different name. New replaces old and eventually, life goes on and changes at a rapidly evolving pace. Today, this ominous fact finally hit me.

I think most everyone understands that growing up is a natural and inevitable part of life. However, I do not think people understand what growing up truly entails until they are thrown into it. It happens so suddenly, sneaking up on you like a bad case of the flu, one minute you're running carelessly and barefooted through the summer grass with a free mind and soul. Then, the next minute you are being hurtled into a world where you work a nine to five and have to worry about if your salary is going to cover your rent. You have to worry about keeping yourself alive, and let's be honest you have no flipping clue when you became an adult, and you wonder if you will ever be good at it.

It's funny how young wish to be old and the old wish to be young. We've all been there when a little girl or boy stares up at you with their big optimistic and unknowing eyes, and says, "I want to be old like you!" All you are thinking in your head is, "Oh really? Do you want to pay rent and do taxes, go to the grocery store to scrounge for some type of sustenance and attempt to do your laundry without turning at least one white shirt pink? Are you kidding me? I just want to be like you and sit on the couch watching Spongebob with a Capri Sun in one hand and Scooby-Doo Gummies in the other."

I'm not trying to make growing up sound so bleak. It definitely has its perks as well. With age comes responsibility, freedom, and wisdom. Age comes with knowledge and the ability to understand yourself and your own capabilities. Getting older is not all bad; it can be exciting and adventurous. Today, and every day the new replaces the old. Remember that wide-eyed and optimistic kid that looked up to the older and wiser as their role model? This kid was once you and this kid was once me. Remember to take enjoyment out of every stage of life because there is always someone who longs to be exactly where you are.