To be continued.

I don’t know how many times I’ve though about what it meant to be a grown up.

When I was little I imagined it was to be like my parents in the most simplistic of terms.

To be tall.

To wear perfume.

To have children and a house.

To carry a briefcase, and have a job that allows you only to be home at night.

Turns out, I was right about a lot of things that growing up entails.

However,

My childhood simplicity left out the magic intertwined with the unforeseeable future and the inevitability of growing older.

Throughout the years I’ve realized that growing up means making mistakes, taking responsibility, and learning from the mishaps.

I’ve also realized that sometimes mistakes need to be made more than once for a lesson to really set in.

I always thought that when I was grown up, I’d have my future set out and planned perfectly.

I wanted to go to college, graduate with a perfect job lined up, meet a man, get married, live in a big house with a white picket fence, and so on and so forth.

Funny thing is, growing up has taught me that none of these generic terms of life are guaranteed.

(Even if I still dream of that perfect home with that perfect man)

The future is fickle and nothing is set out so blatantly in black and white.

Growing up is learning how to move with the tide.

It is to be flexible, open minded, and resilient.

It is to have fear, but to use the fear to your advantage as motivation.

It is to smile in the face of adversary, pick yourself off the floor, and continue on.

It is to remember the importance of family, friendships, and love.

Most of all, it is to remember that nothing goes as planned, and the best thing a person can do is remain true to themselves throughout this journey of life,

Preferably with a big smile and an open heart.

-K