Growing up…something that is terrifying to think about because when we used to be kids we wanted to be a grown up and when you grow up all you want to do is to be a kid again. For some reason it just happens that way because sometimes we want the opposite. However, some of us can still try to be kids on the inside. There is a quote I want to throw in here, which is super deep and meaningful by the way. “Soda becomes vodka. Bikes become cars. Kisses turn into sex. Remember when dad’s shoulders were the highest place on earth and mom was your hero? Race issues were who ran the fastest, war was only a card game. The most pain you felt was when you skinned your knees, and good byes only meant until tomorrow? And we couldn’t wait to grow up.” Sometimes we don’t have to grow up that quickly. Anyways, there are certain situations and things we go through that make us grow up, sometimes rather quickly. For me that situation came when I applied for college and decided to attend college outside of California. People took one look at me and thought I was crazy, but also courageous. I made that decision because I was ready for change and that is a part of growing up. Sometimes as we grow up we are ready for different things, places and people. That is also a part of growing up.
During those days of college I learned a lot about myself and was for the most part, able to make my own decisions. I made the choices who I made friends with, what classes I took, etc. I was learning how to be financially stable which is still a struggle, but I am learning. A lot of those things in my mind are all a part of growing up. That certain situation might be different for someone else. That is also a time where you find out who you are and what you want because that could have been different from the time when you were younger. A part of growing up is sometimes doing things you did not do before or losing people you were once close too. In other words, we outgrow those things and people. I want to thank those of you who have been there while I have been growing because they have never left my side. I even want to thank those who left me too because those people taught me a lot. That brings me into my next quote. “Whether you pushed me or pulled me, drained me or fueled me, loved me or left me, hurt me or helped me, you are a part of my growth and no kidding, I ‘thank you’!” You all are really a part of my growth, no matter what.
Another time that made me grow up was simply going from a girl to a woman and that was also when I turned 21 when I was in college. We go through all those changes when we grow up and although I am now past 21, it still feels like I am growing up every day. I do not think that growing up phase ever truly goes away. Someone may want to argue with me about that, but it is whatever. When you grow up you lose things, but growing up also may mean to keep some things and to also gain things. In addition to growing up we also grow, which is pretty much the same thing as growing up. It is just without the up part. We let things grow and blossom. I want to include this quote because it all the things we go through growing up. “As you grow up, your priorities change, nights out are swapped for nights in, your circle gets smaller and games, drama, and partying every weekend just aren’t fun anymore. You get to a point where it’s quality over quantity, like your your career, your relationships, your family and YOU! You want quality now. Something that’s yours, something real, something you can grow, something you’re proud of. As you grow up, you want a future, not just a for now. As you grow up things change, YOU change… and you start to like it that way.” This poem I included is a reminder for all of my readers that it is okay to grow/grow up because all things and people grow up, whether it is plants, people, feelings, etc.
Growing Up Into a Woman
Darling, I hope that you dry your tears
That you cry when you go to sleep at night.
Believe you are stronger than your fears
And that you are still the endless light
That glows. You are no longer that little girl,
But you are still a fighter and growing up
To become something more than a pearl.
You never lost your ability to see that the cup
Is still half way full. You are a good woman with
Optimism, magic and hope at your fingertips.
You have to be more than that fable, myth
And fairy tale. You write your own scripts
And stories. You are someone’s wonder
And super woman, but you do not belong to
Them. You may trip, but you never slip under
Because you are someone who is always true.