Growing Up is Hard to Do

When did it all happen?

By it, I mean adulthood. You know. The bills, the career, the car payments, the marriages, grad school, divorces, rent, and mortgages. And I haven't even mentioned the kids. But there's no bun in this oven right now so that story is still yet to come....

What I'm saying is that sometimes I psyche myself out by thinking about the seemingly blurred transition between my teen years and that of adulthood. It's like one moment my main concern was what dress I was wearing to the prom--and then, in a blink of an eye--it's now ten years later and I'm on the verge of getting married.

Where did all the time go?

And don't get me wrong. Much of this journey has been the reward. Remember how ectstatic you were when you moved out of the nest into your first apartment? Or how the best day of your life used to be when you could finally, legally buy a round of drinks and dance the night away at the hottest club? And we can't forget about all those college house parties that always turned into a complete gong show?

But eventually, there comes a point when our world begins to change....

I guess that's when life really starts to happen. It's when a parent becomes ill and you are suddenly faced with the true nature of life and death in a way you could have never been prepared for. Perhaps it's that crippling devastation of your first real break-up when you feel like your entire world has been turned upside-down. Or maybe it's that truly messy pickle you have somehow gotten yourself into and your parents just can't bail you out this time.

So now what?

You just roll with it. Because if you can stick it out long enough to wade through all of the crap, you start seeing the world through a brand new lens.

It's when your love for your family and friends seems to grow ten-fold as you begin to realize how they really are there for you until the end. And I think I'm slowly starting to understand why people decide to do it--start families of their own in order to keep this crazy circle going around. (Or maybe it's just that damn biological clock rearing its ugly little head for the first time)....