Growing Up

Growing up and moving on is never easy, but then again who ever said it was? You never really know how much you've changed until you look back at everything you did and thought while in high school; it's only then that you realize that you are nothing like you were only a year ago. The jokes you laugh at change, the type of people you associate with are completely different, and you're sense of responsibility is much straighter than before (hopefully). Unfortunately, that greater sense of responsibility comes the difficult tasks of making decisions for yourself. Those include, forgiving, forgetting, and moving on. That's exactly what makes growing up so difficult.

I would be more than happy to be a kid again where one minute you're mad about something and the next you've forgotten completely why you were mad or that you were mad at all. Of course, that's not how life is; the older you get the harder it is to forgive and forget. So, in order for me to truly grow up, I've started to compile a list of things I must do. I guess you could say I've decided to transform into an adult. And because I didn't write it down when I started the list I don't remember everything, so I'll just tell you what I can remember thus far.

1. Go to class much more often and actually study.
2. Stop using the word "douche." It's not nice and not very lady-like.
3. Watch my somewhat short temper. That includes not taking things so literal all the time.
4. Be patient with everyone no matter what the circumstance.
5. Do things I've never done before.
6. Break my texting addiction.

I think that's a decent list to begin my transformation. Growing up is hard and definitely scary, but everybody needs to do it at some point in time. I figure that if I start now it won't be so hard or rushed later.

Growing up requires you to learn how to forgive others, but you don't really grow up unless you learn to forgive yourself for things that you've done. It's not just forgiving yourself for the "big" things you've done, but for the little as well; you have to forgive yourself for past boyfriends, girlfriends, fights, and comments you've made. Alden Nowlan said it pretty well: “The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.” I'm not saying I'm wise, or even close to it. It's just some food for thought from a girl trying to grow up and move forward in life.