Since I entered my twenties, which was around 3 weeks ago, I have been feeling the most overwhelming fears and have had trouble facing the true reality of getting older. I know this may sound strange, and I do want to get older and have more amazing life experiences, however, I feel like any twenty-something year old can relate to the societal feeling and understanding that within your twenties, your life can completely change and normally, this is for the better.
In any movie I watched growing up, all the characters that were in their twenties always went through the most drastic changes within the film: they graduate college, get their first real job, get engaged, married, have kids, etc. I think what’s so strange to me is that these things are all becoming more “in the now” for me versus being so futuristic like how I idolized these characters in my favorite movies. Characters like Sophie from Mamma Mia, Jo March from Little Women, and Miley Stewart in Hannah Montana the Movie all served as female characters that I idolized, and now looking back on them, it’s crazy to see that I am now the age they were in these films and I do not feel 100% ready to let go of my childhood and officially grow up. I do think that my childhood and childlike self are still ingrained in me through being an early education major and pursuing a degree in teaching. Sometimes, however, I do have a difficult time deciphering my “teaching voice” and child-centered job, and being a 20-year-old in college and facing the realities of her surrounding world.
I do find it strange that as I’m getting older, I feel more and more like my life is changing not just because of my age but also because I am gaining more experience through my time here on Earth. I do believe that a grounding factor for me when I think about the realities of growing up is how this is an experience that every person goes through, and a lot of different experiences of facing getting older are explicitly written about in some of my favorite songs. I decided to compile a list of some of my favorite songs that help me feel not so alone in terms of growing up. As a whole, this list of songs (although for sure are a group of potential tear-jerkers) has allowed me to freely embrace and grasp this idea of the experience of growing up in the best way.
- “20 Something” by SZA
- “Getting Older” by Billie Eilish
- “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift
- “Rivers and Roads” by the Head and the Heart
- “Nothing New” by Taylor Swift feat. Phoebe Bridgers
- “Vienna” by Billy Joel
- “Butterfly Fly Away” by Miley Cyrus
- “Ivy” by Frank Ocean
- “Garden Song” by Phoebe Bridgers
- “History” by One Direction
- “Rollercoaster” by Bleachers
- “We are Young” by FUN feat. Janelle Monaé
- “YOUTH” by Troye Sivan
- “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine
- “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts
- “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran
- “Everything Has Changed” (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran
- “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
- “Yesterday” by the Beatles
(Link to Spotify Playlist)
**Edited by Jane Sanders