“Everyone thinks you make mistakes when you’re young. But I don’t think we make any fewer when we’re grown up.” Jodi Picoult

Ah, the old age wisdom of expecting to have your life planned out at such an early age.

Remember when you were asked about what you want to be when you grow up?

Who doesn’t? 

Even at a later age, we always hear relatives, acquaintances and friends asking corporate bound family members what they want to do or plan to do after graduation. 

Don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with having a plan laid out. It makes you prepared in life. It gives you goals. And it’s a great and admirable habit to have. 

But does growing up only have to do with having plans or achieving success? 

Let’s get real now, shall we?

If I was to be asked now, at fifty four years old, what I want to be when I grow up?

I would say….

I want to be…

Someone who wants to be the better person, even if the other person is in the wrong. Tough one, isn’t it? 

Someone who wouldn’t meddle in someone else’s business. But now, everything and everyone is everybody’s business. 

Someone who would always try to be fair to everyone regardless of who they are and where they came from.  Easier said right? 

I want to be someone who sees the good in people even in difficult situations.  But what if they do me wrong? 

Someone who does more and speaks less. 

Someone who judges less and listens more. 

Someone who points fingers backwards or doesn’t point it at all. I found out that it is easier for us to point fingers at others instead of admitting that we are also at fault or that we contributed to the situation. It’s always a battle between winning or losing. 

Is growing up the same as getting old?

I’m sure you will agree with me that there are people who get old but never grow up. 

Growing up is learning from our mistakes.

It’s lessons learned put into practice.

Growing up is seeing the intention behind every unsolicited advice. Not all advice is meant to criticize.

Growing up is hearing and feeling even in silence. Sometimes, we don’t need to hear it to see and understand. Silence can be loud only if we listen. 

Growing up is the sum of all our pains, heartaches, difficulties, disappointments, struggles and defeats. As well as the sum of everything else in between. It’s the sum of us molded by our experiences.

But in the end, we all grow up and don’t even realize it. 

Or we don’t.

“One of the strange things about adulthood is that you are your current self, but you are also all the selves you used to be, the ones you grew out of but can’t ever quite get rid of.” John Green

Until next time,