When did we stop taking lunch boxes with Uncrustables and sliced apples to school? When did our dads stop driving us to soccer practices and tournaments? When did the majority of our friends leave their teenage years behind and enter their twenties?
While in the moment it may have seemed as though time was moving slowly, we somehow bound out of our awkward, braces/front bangs stage and fully escaped adolescence. And while our parents continually refute our complaints of feeling old because in comparison, we are clearly still in our youth; it seems strange, almost insane, how quickly we left our childhood behind and entered the terrifying, yet thrilling years of adulthood.
It seems almost depressing that we have departed from the simplicity of childhood. Everything was easier then, right? The responsibilities of finances and class work and living alone were virtually nonexistent. Days were filled with art literacy classes, plaid uniform skirts, and playdates with Club Penguin; and the biggest worries crossing our minds were the nerves for a soccer game on the coming Saturday morning.
Yeah, high school provided a slight gateway into the adult world, but we were never fully thrust into our own independence until we reached college. But here we are, and while even the smallest thought of the future seems absolutely terrifying, in careful thought about the days and months and years to come, there is so much to look forward to. Sure, we have forever said goodbye to the days of absolute ease and innocence, but we have finally arrived to a time in our lives where we are in full control of our paths. The limitations and insecurities of our teenage years are almost gone; and we have so much freedom to make our own decisions.
We are at a point in our lives when we can choose to travel abroad with our closest friends. We can choose our friends without the crippling and vastly unnecessary pressures of popularity following behind us. We can go to music festivals and meet people from around the world. We can choose our classes based on what ignites our passions and interests. We can get away with coming home at 2:30 in the morning and still being able to make it to our 8:00 am. We can be the people that we choose to be.
So while the simplicity of childhood is gone, and the responsibilities of adulthood are permanently here, enjoy where we are right now. Adulthood does not have to be a collection of constant stresses and responsibility and complications; it can be the best time of our lives if we just let it be.
