Did you know that growing up really sucks? As children, all we wanted to do was be adults and do all of the things that our parents and older siblings get to do. What they don’t tell you is that you have to deal with homework, term papers, exams, bills, job stress, losing friends, mental illness, etc. Now I know that all of us have dealt with some, if not all, of the things that I have listed above but today I feel really passionate about this topic. Right now, I am a junior in college and a lot of new things are occurring in my life that I thought would never happen. These events in my life are a mixture of good and bad, but nonetheless they’re big changes in my life.
I want to start with the bad first because then this article can end with some more uplifting tales, and maybe even a message to my past self. I learned at a very young age that people do not, and will not, always stick around for your whole life, no matter how close you are. As you grow up and mature people tend to go away and you grow apart, and even though it hurts, you can’t force someone to stay. Friendships end and sometimes it kills you because you can see it happening more every day. It starts with one text message not being responded to, then two, but maybe they’re just busy, right? They’re going through a lot, so you keep reaching out to let them know you’re there for them, you try to start just asking about their day or how things are going. Sure, you don’t have to talk every day and normally it is comfortable silence and that you’re still as close as you used to be. She’s going through a lot with her schooling, she is struggling with mental health, she has a boyfriend that she spends a lot of time with. Then, one day, it hits you when they become engaged and didn’t tell you, and you find out on Facebook. Suddenly you realize that you’re adults now and things will never be like they were in high school, you’re growing apart. It hurts like a bitch, but you’ve reached out countless times to try and let her know that you’re there for her, but she doesn’t want you anymore. She’s happy and getting married, she has him, she doesn’t need you to be there for her. So, for your own sake, you decide that you have to let her come to you because continuously reaching out makes you pathetic. So even though it hurts, you have to let her come to you, and if she doesn’t, then you have to accept that because you can’t force it. That’s another part of growing up, is knowing when to let things go and know that if she reaches out, you’ll still want to see her and hang out. Growing up isn’t all bad though, there are plenty of aspects of life that are great, and you get to do so many new and exciting things.
Now, I don’t want to be a Debbie downer for this entire article, because there are plenty of things that are going well in my life. I have this amazing job that I get to do over the summer with state parks, it pays well, and I love my coworkers. I get to travel to the state parks and learn so much about how the system works, and I am trusted to do a lot of important tasks. This summer was probably one of the best ones of my life, and it is definitely the best job that I have ever had and is setting me up to reach for my future career goals. My boss allows me to job shadow with other departments like the game commission, forestry, or other fields within state parks that I don’t do for my usual job. It makes the difficulty of my major seem worth it because I can now experience more of what I want to do in the future. Also, besides my job, I am learning so much more about myself and what I need within personal relationships (friendships or romantic) in order to be happy. I am learning what makes me happy and what makes me sad, and I no longer settle for less than what makes me happy, which I have done so many times. I used to pick romantic partners because they are what I thought I deserved, and not necessarily what I wanted. I used to settle for friends who would use and abuse me because that’s what I thought I deserved. You do not have to settle, and I hope you never do because once you let the toxic people go you will be so much happier. I have learned so much about myself and I know that I am headed down a much better path, and I can’t wait to keep growing and learning. So even though growing up sucks sometimes, just know that there are so many happy moments coming your way.