Life and spoiled lemons

Growing up, we would envy independent adults around us that make us rush to move past our childhood. All our friends would agree with that notion that they paint us a pretty clear picture of what’s waiting for us in the future:  a flexible sleeping schedule, being able to go anywhere, the joys of independence vis-à-vis sleepless nights, going to the same places daily, and how independence is dreadful for some of us. What we didn’t know back then is that growing up also comes with pain that drive us to acceptance of life being cruel.

Now that we are about to be adults, some have become their own masters of when and where we sleep. We are now capable to travel anywhere seldomly restricted by responsibilities and prior commitments, while, a lot of us are now independent in our own ways but still get help from our parents and guardians. But, accept it or not, we are approaching adulthood already. We know all of our responsibilities that wake us up in the day and keep us up at night.

We often run into new obstacles that test our strength and will, improving ourselves  once we overcome these hurdles as we tend to encounter such daily. This has become a phenomenon that goes on and on for a lifetime every time we’re at the other side of an obstacle. Frequent are the times where we fail these tests and fall into an abyss that pushes us to give up and sulk in one corner. But we were never taught to easily give up on things that matter. These obstacles are constant in growing up and part of the pains coming from failures. 

Everyday is a risk of failure with a trial and error routine of  determining what is right and beneficial for ourselves with no one to stand as a guide. It’s a duty for us to tread on and figure out what to do next on our own as it is how independence is developed and practiced. Once we got it figured out, prejudices in adulthood will be patched up, but it’s still a rough road ahead.

Early adulthood is also when we ponder and wish to go back to our younger selves again. Regrets will and already have come when we start to realize that we have wasted a small part of our life clinging to an idea we were clueless about. The period of childhood ended without us noticing but we still kept going. Thus, we are now by ourselves trying to figure out how to grow up, and to become people who contribute to society. We also have different paces and experiences in growing up, some go at a slow pace while others move swiftly. Going at a slow pace is never a bad thing for anyone. What solely matters is that we are all trying to reach a goal that will satisfy us and our expectations.

is one where we have to go through crashing and cruel waves, and in that swim, we must stay afloat.

While adulthood was never made to be breezed through easily, this monumental period of our lives is one where we have to go through crashing and cruel waves, and in that swim, we must stay afloat. The joys that we cherish are the things that keep us going in adulthood and these are what we should be reminding ourselves: to stand tall to keep up with being independent and remember to pick up some positivity in life that will help us bear the journey of independence.