Time seems to go by so fast when you grow up, doesn't it?. Suddenly, it's not agonizing torture waiting for that time on Saturday when the ice cream truck finally makes its rounds, as it seems like every minute you hear that repetitive little tune that reminds you of your lost innocence. It makes you really wonder why it felt like an eternity as a kid because now you can't believe you're hearing it again, for last Saturday felt like yesterday, not seven full days ago. I remember the summers where I would forget what day it was, not worried about if it was Tuesday or Friday, the only thing reminding me the day of the week was the ice cream truck on Saturday. I was carefree, my only worry was what cartoon I would watch tomorrow morning as I ate my frozen waffles. Now, it seems as if I can't get by one day without having something scheduled or something due. I have to measure the days to keep my halfway adult life on track and i long for a time again where I won't have to worry about the day, or even my birthday. The days and years will run together and I won't have a care in the world. I won't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday and I won't plan what I'll have for breakfast tomorrow. But now, as I stand at 20 years old, stuck halfway between being a kid and being an adult, I realize that time is so precious. as I pack my things and prepare myself to move four hours away from home, I realize that I wish I would have treasured time more as a kid chasing an ice cream truck. I wish I would have treasured the time I had when I got to spend every Saturday and Sunday with my family, going on trips to the grocery store (even though I only went along at the time for the free cookies at the bakery), or getting to go out to eat on a Friday night because it was the end of the work week for my parents and that was something to celebrate. I don't remember when I lost my innocence and when I lost simple pleasures like weekly grocery store trips but of course, it's human nature to always want more of what we don't have. I want more of those simple pleasures as all of the things that bring joy to lives at my age have somehow become endlessly more complicated. Grocery shopping has become a weekly burden, as I mostly do it on my own and the bakery doesn't give free cookies to anyone over ten (sadly). Going out to eat becomes an event of checking my bank account and seeing what's the cheapest item on the menu I can afford while still being able to give a nice tip to the server, because they are halfway adults just like me and they are struggling too. This is all part of growing up, a part I knew would come for me eventually, I just never imagined it would come this fast. While I am stuck in this halfway adult life right now, I know that things won't always be this way, and before I even have time to calculate what's coming next, my life will almost instantly change. In the next decade of my life, I'll possibly have a family, and though my role will be different, those simple pleasures will come back to me. I'll get to see the smile on my kids' faces as they get a free cookie at the bakery, something they'll look forward to just as I did. I'll get to hear that little repetitive tune of the ice cream truck followed by my kids begging for money and their happiness at this simple pleasure will, in turn, make me wait for Saturdays just so I can witness their joy. What I've learned is that growing up is all about stages, some worse than others, some better than all the rest. Most stages repeat themselves, all with different perspectives. Instead of the cookie receiver, I will be the cookie giver, and that is a part of being a true adult that I will accept and treasure. As much as we all wish we could live life like Peter Pan and stay in an endless state of childhood bliss, growing up is inevitable and the sooner we accept the changes coming to us, the sooner we will find unconditional bliss, regardless of our life stage. Time is so, so precious. We must not dwell on what we don't have but instead, appreciate all the things we do. Becoming an adult is tiring, confusing, and completely difficult at times, but I know that one day, this stage in my life will just be a distant memory. So today, I'm taking pride in this stage of being a halfway-adult. I'm appreciating the days as they come and taking each moment with a grain of salt.

As the wise words of John Mayer say, "One day our generation, is gonna rule the population." Get out there and live in the present, take pictures of everything, appreciate agonizing, lonely grocery store trips, and most of all, appreciate that annoying little ice cream truck song because one day, it'll be the little things that you will remember and want back. For all we know, someday in the distant (or not so distant) future, the ice cream truck may have some digital techno-beat song that is even more annoying than the original. Ice cream trucks may not even exist at all anymore.

So, with all this being said, us halfway adults must stand together in these confusing times. We must show the world what we've got and prove that one day (definitely not tomorrow, or even like, next year, but one day...) we will be able to be true adults. The world is at our fingertips. Times are tough, but we are tougher! Here's to preparing for whatever stage is coming for us next.