As we go through life, we go through many phases. There is one phase that happens within a blink of an eye, sometimes it happens without realizing it till you stop and think about it. Some have a harder time dealing with it then others, some avoid it all together and never go through the phase.
The phase of becoming an adult is daunting and scary at times. It’s funny how when I was a child I would sit and count the days and years till I could drive, till I could go to college, get a job, to make a difference in this world. The innocent days that we all shared as children, the days of wishing that time would fly by so we could do all the things that we wanted and dreamed of doing.
But then the phase comes, we come face to face with it, time starts to move faster, the years turn to months, to days and in time years turn into minutes. I remember when I realized that I was going through it. I was sitting on the edge of a parking garage downtown thinking, I realized that the home I grew up in was no longer my home. I started to notice how quick time was moving by, I became scared. Wishing and wanting to turn back the clock, back to when I was 16, back even further to when I was young and innocent. I wanted to make more memories with my family and friends, wanted to fall asleep on the couch after midnight and to wake up with blankets covering me because my mother came and took care of me while I slept.
I stood up and wished upon a star, I know childish, how foolish of me to think a wish on a star would or even could come true. But I became desperate, what made me desperate was a single thought. A thought that has sent ripples throughout my body and my mind, it continues to do so to this very day. The thought of losing both my parents, though I know they will be in a better place, I would much rather be selfish and keep them here forever with me. The thought shook me so hard, my heart betrayed me, my body forgot how to breathe and my palms became sweaty.
This phase of becoming an adult is not the easiest, you must come and battle with the hard truths and lessons that life brings. Once we become adults, we have a better understanding of life. We start to understand what our parents were trying to tell us, we start to cherish each and every moment that we share with loved ones more. We begin to hold onto these moments as tight as we can, sometimes we even seal them in a vault with our tears.
When life starts to go good and everything is calm and running smoothly, you start to think about things, I’ll admit to it. When I am hiking high up in the mountains or even walking down a street, I think about this phase of life; I think about my wife, my daughter, my brothers and sisters and my parents. I think about how if it were possible I would tell Death to leave and never come around those that I hold near and dear to me.
As we get older, as we go through the many phases of life, don’t take the moments and loving memories for granted. Love them, and live in the moment and don’t fret about what is to come. Time is not slowing down, so don’t miss a second of it by living and constantly looking in the past or the future.
