GROWING UP
I used to think that adults held all the power and had boundless resources to obtain whatever they wished. I didn’t want to be under my parents’ control. At one point, I even believed that I could somehow “grow” money and harvest it whenever I needed funds to accumulate wealth.
Even though I am in my 20s, an adult, and a grownup, there are days when all I can think about is going back to when I was 7 and playing in my neighborhood with my friends.
Despite the utter impossibility of it, being a child grants you the ability to view the world through your own distinct lens. There’s no definitive “right” or “wrong” way for a young person to interpret the world, so no one can be blamed for their particular perceptions. During my childhood, everything seemed almost perfect.
I could see the purity of my 5-year-old cousin’s innocence and his unfaltering trust that everything will be okay as he played and sang to himself. Pelumi, my friend’s 3-year-old daughter, dances gleefully and carefreely as if no one is watching, and while I watch, I feel the same way inside.
On a certain level, the difficulty in coming to terms with death as an inevitable reality mirrors a sort of refined ignorance, much like the state of being uninformed about topics like sex. Just as irrational beliefs in entities like Santa Claus, the idea that throwing a tooth on a roof will facilitate its regrowth, or fears of a lurking “ojuju” under the bed are common in childhood, so too are beliefs in the seemingly boundless authority, and goodness of parents, as well as the notion that anyone can grow up to become whatever they aspire to be. This cycle of understanding the world through evolving perspectives begins with innocent beliefs and gradually gives way to a more nuanced comprehension of the complexities of life
As the weight of reality settles in, it can indeed be disheartening. There are moments when I perceive myself as an adult, and other times when that sense fluctuates. Navigating adulthood as a Millennial proves perplexing. I grapple with deciding whether to establish a non-profit, pursue further education, start a venture that could achieve remarkable success, or devise a strategy to explore the world while presenting it as effortless through online platforms. The options are abundant, and the path ahead seems both intricate and uncertain.
Individuals will experience adulthood in different ways. For some, this entails moving out on their own or attending college far away. Others see it as beginning your first legitimate employment and achieving financial independence. No matter the situation, growing up entails accepting responsibility for your life. I am aware that I have the potential to be anything, but doing so would need a lot of work.
Knowing all of this, I believe it is OK to feel somewhat perplexed about maturing and becoming an adult. You might never be able to enjoy the priority that you formerly had under the adage “kids first” since you are an adult. It is not realistic to grow a money tree, thus you will need to cease being reliant and look for employment to make money.
Society often imposes expectations like raising children and owning property, among other things. However, retaining our individual aspirations even as adults means we needn’t be overly concerned with meeting societal norms. Maturing provides an opportunity to explore our true selves. The essence lies in pursuing the life we’ve envisioned. It’s about bridging the vibrant imagination of our childhood with the reality we create. Hence, never let that opportunity slip away. Strive to become the person your younger self would deeply admire.
Do not associate “growing up” with anything scary. Consider it a way to fulfill your early ambitions. You can accomplish a lot of things as an adult, but keep your inner kid intact at all times.
“Never lose the child inside of you because doing so would mean losing who you are.”
Being Grown Up as a whole is like an Abstract painting; from a distance, you can only make out a hazy image, but up close, you can make out millions of tiny brushstrokes. Uneven, erratic, but unquestionably a component of a bigger whole.