It Just Happens
Perks of growing up from a 22 years old
Recently a friend of mine commented that though I am 22 years old, I seem to be after the heart of a 30. For that, I take that as a compliment. Then again, I started thinking how did that happen? After all, I am 22.
We all grow up at different ages and when I said grow up, what I really meant was being an adult. For some, very early, while others probably later than they should be or some doesn’t at all.
For girls, we start by trying our first mascara and looking out for clothes that we identify with(or hope to by identified by). We read autobiographies of people like Audrey Hepburn and Princess Diana while daydreaming to have a life like theirs, after all Diana was a legitimate princess. We buy our first pair of heels, careful with every stride while trying to remain that gracefulness we so often hear about. We try to change our lifestyle by deciding if we ultimately like coffee or tea.
For guys, they make a decision to hit the gym weekly and most of the time, don’t succeed(on the first time at least). They start reading the papers and try their hardest to understand politics and finances. They look at shirts, trousers and wallets differently. What was once a waste of time become a goal. They try to comprehend what the difference between a fine wine and a dry. They try to improve their manners and behaviour. Some of them stop cursing altogether. & just like girls, some of them look upon male celebrities as their future.
Throughout this course of finding ourselves, we don’t realise this but we are growing up. We force ourselves to act how we think we should be at our age and that just slowly form who we are. We will automatically divert our eyes away from things we think do not suit us and are drawn to what interest us. We will no longer care about fitting in all the time because we understand that not all of us are the same. We begin to have deep thoughts about the future and I’m speaking of the real deep thoughts.
We no longer grab a cup of coffee with our notebook(digital or otherwise) just because it looks cool and sophisticated. We do it because we really want that coffee and a place to to focus. We stop daydreaming to be like someone else, but rather, we aspire to be someone like those we look up to. We begin to find our passion and take charge of our lives. We may still go partying but we stop getting drunk, we learn to say no to what we really do not like instead of saying yes just so people like you. We gain control and we take that step out of our comfort zone by standing up for what we think is right instead of just keeping our opinions to ourselves. We start having real visions and pursuits that we work hard for it to become reality regardless the cost.
The only difference is age. Back to the statement of my friend saying I behave like a 30 years old, I enjoy reading, going on dates by myself, seeking self-improvement, proposing serious and deep conversations with people instead of the talking about the latest tabloids and finally having a dream that is really talked about. If that is you too, honestly, there is nothing wrong with that. You should be proud of it because you have became an adult.
We don’t grow up on purpose. It just happens.