So the other day I had the horrible revelation that I am in fact growing up, and there’s not much I can do to stop it. I know, this isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a person, but let’s be honest: It’s pretty high up there.

Not that aging itself is bad. I’m not against physically growing old; that’s completely cool. It’s the societal expectations and limitations that go along with age. Like, once you hit 20, it’s suddenly not OK to wear Chucks with every single outfit, or to patch up your backpack with tie dye duct tape. Little things, but things I wasn’t expecting to give up.

My friends and I are currently in the horrible process of attempting to find reasonably priced off-campus housing for the next school year. Because our school is located in the middle of so many neighborhoods, a lot of kids just end up renting a house for the year as opposed to apartments. Let me tell you something: House hunting is not entirely an enjoyable experience. Our budget has limited us to a small selection of outdated, overly broken-in residences that aren’t worth nearly as much as they’re being sold for. It doesn’t help that we have absolutely no idea what we’re doing. The paperwork is beyond complicated to our naïve eyes, filled with words I’ve honestly never seen before. Let me tell you something else: By college, I guess your parents assume you’re responsible enough to handle these situations on your own. Um, excuse me, but last I checked I was a fetus. I have no business meddling with the real world, nor do I have enough experience to even try and pretend I can.

But then again, just last week I spent a few days with a friend who lives amidst the splendor of New York City. She’s my age, yet she has her own apartment, job, goes to school, and seems to completely have her life together, or at least knows how to lease her flat. The thing was, not only did it not seem that hard, but her life is awesome. She has complete control over what she does, when she does it, and who she does it with. I’ll admit, I was in utter awe at how great her life is, and how maturely she presents herself. It seems I’ve spent the past twenty years doing everything I can to resist the process of growing up, and in doing so, missed out on all the awesomeness that comes along with it.

So this is more of a reassurance to myself than a notice to of all you, but just in case you weren’t aware, growing up isn’t half bad, nor is it as scary as I had thought. There are definitely some things that change as you grow, and life can become a tad more complicated. On the flip side, it can also be a lot more rewarding, as you grow and start becoming involved in activities and the lifestyle that you dreamed about as a kid. Life itself has so much to offer, with so many endless opportunities for each individual. That’s the funny thing about life: Just like we never stop growing, it never stops getting better.