onehundredseventeen.

For the longest time, I have equated my growing up with the numbers, with my responsibilities, with the dull ache of our average, safe, boring lives. Not only that but I had always thought that as we grow up, we lose most of our sparkle, our shine, and only remain just about as exciting as our high school science classes. I thought that grownups had no magic hidden inside them. They were just intricate strings of DNA joined together with salaries that weren’t nearly satisfying, from jobs that they despised, and graying hair that they couldn’t possibly do anything about. This is the reason why I looked to the Peter Pan complex. But, it’s struck me that growing up is more than numbers, increasing responsibilities, and gray hair. It’s about learning things the hard way because sometimes, that’s the only way. It’s about forgiving. You must choose to get over the occurrences and the people that break your heart. It’s possible. You know you can and you will. It’s hardly ever going to be easy, but you must give it time. It’s bound to make you that much stronger in the end. It’s about asking for your forgiveness. At one point in our lives, we will all slip up and do something absolutely stupid. But you must learn how to say sorry and mean it, not just say sorry for the hell of it. If you learn well, you’ll be fine. It’s about keeping people in your life that continuously never fail to challenge and inspire you. Or those who make you smile and keep you on check. Those are the only ones that should matter. It’s about taking that leap of faith. If you don’t, you’ll never know if you can fly. It’s about second chances, making sure you don’t have any regrets. But, it is also about knowing at the right time that you have had enough. Everyone has their limits. You should know your own, and don’t try to compromise it. It’s about living in the moment, regardless of what the moment might be. Don’t be ashamed to feel the way you do, after all your human, and emotions do define your humaneness. You can’t help what you are feeling in as much as you can’t help that you are feeling. It’s about realizing that you will not get everything that you want when you want it. However, you will get what you need, what you deserve. Let’s just say growing up is simply learning to love yourself. Believe in yourself. No matter who you are, or where you’re from. Just love yourself. Inside and out. If you do so, you will always know what you need to do. You will get by. Most importantly, you will be happy. Always.

We grow neither better nor worse as we get older, but more like ourselves.