Growing Pains

Image Courtesy: Variety

As a child, I could not wait to grow up. I waited at the stop sign as my siblings crossed the street. I watched as my sister got her first cellphone. I watched as my brother got his first car. I felt as if life was a race, and I could not wait for it to be my turn.

As a child, I climbed every tree in sight. I would sprint ahead of my friends on the playground to secure a spot on the swing set. I would have sleepovers with my sister and stay up all night telling stories. I played outside with my brother until the sun disappeared under the horizon. I would sit outside on a warm summer day, waiting to hear the music from an ice cream truck.

Somehow, in between all of those memories, I graduated high school, moved into a dorm, worked in the summer rather than playing in the sun, and watched as my siblings moved out. Life was no longer a race; it was a reflection of how quickly time can slip between your fingers. As a child, I never understood what people meant when they would say that time flies. Looking back, time doesn’t just fly, it escapes from underneath you, leaving you with nothing but memories.

Image Courtesy: Film Daily

I would do anything to go back to being a child. I had a wild imagination and fascination for the world. I ate candy for breakfast and would laugh until my stomach hurt. I wanted to do everything in life. I wanted to be an astronaut, a princess, and a dolphin trainer. As a child, you only know happiness. But at some age, reality sets in, and all the dreams you had as a child eventually fade away.

Life is no longer filled with ice cream, sleepovers, and recess. The romantic view I once had of life has been tainted by reality. I no longer find joy in the little things, like a warm summer breeze, the anticipation of Christmas morning, or the smell of my mom’s cooking. I no longer live carefree with paint on my shirt, chalk on my hands, and mismatched socks. I seek approval from others. I’ll fake a smile if I have to, as long as no one sees me cry. I’m not as vulnerable as I was as a child when I thought friends were forever and time was infinite.

Image Courtesy: Vanity Fair

Growth can also be beauty in disguise. I have formed my own opinions and beliefs. I am strong and independent. I have learned how to love myself, as well as others. I reminisce on the memories of my childhood but anticipate the future memories I will create. Life is short and time slips by, but if you live life to the fullest and stop to appreciate the little things, life will surprise you and leave you with memories that last a lifetime.

Life is not a race.

Strike Out,

Writer: Sara Vigne

Editor: Noelle Knowlton

Tallahassee

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Adulting: Do We Stay the Same?