Day 4: Getting Older

Getting Older

I realized last night that I am a few months from being able to legally drink with the very people who held me and changed my diapers. Getting older comes with a lot of perks. No one looks at me like I am a child anymore but as an adult. I mean, technically I've been an "adult" but when you are up against aunts, uncles and cousins in their thirties and up, it's hard to strip that child like image because in comparison, you will always be a child. So now that that childhood image is officially stripped, I am able to see more into what it means to get older. 

I don't know everything about getting older and I know that I have so much more to learn but I think I am adjusting well. One thing I've learned is that people expect more from you. As a kid, elders don't look to you as a reference or for your opinion. A lot of times directions are given to you and not asked of you. Now it seems like the other adults look to me for certain things, whether it's insight or just information about something I am more knowledgeable about. When you're young you often get hushed or your expertise isn't as accepted as it would be otherwise. While at the same time, when there is a crisis, more is expected of you. You're decision making skills are expected to be high and there is a lot less room for mistakes. Once you become an adult, mistakes are a lot more visible and can have many more repercussions. It's kind of scary thinking about it.

One of my fears of getting older is falling short of my aspirations and ambitions. I know that I have a bright future ahead of me but no one but God knows what time and life, in combination, can do. Things can change in a blink of an eye. It all goes back to decisions. When you are an adult your decisions become intensely more crucial. Even now, my decisions are not as heavily weighted as they will be in the future. When I think back in my past, I can accept my mistakes but as I get older my mistakes are a lot less easier to eradicate. I suppose decision making in general is a life long process that is to be constantly nurtured and attempted to be perfected. But even adults make regular, less than perfect decisions. I just hope that my caution in life helps prevent making decisions that may not be beneficial for me in the future.

One thing I am most excited about is obviously being legally able to drink. I actually love bars and tasting new beers. In Europe it's normal to go to bars to drink and hang out and that was something I really learned to enjoy. There's definitely more to being twenty-one than being able to drink but I just think it's such a monumental age in American culture. If I must say so myself, twenty-one years of life is absolutely celebration worthy, for both the drinkers and the non-drinkers. It's almost kind of shallow that my reason behind my excitement are the nights that I can enjoy being a regular at a small, hip bar with my fella but it's the truth. A girl can be excited, can't she?

I am not afraid of getting older, I am just afraid of not taking complete advantage of my youth. One thing I hope is that I can look back and say that I did some amazing things in my lifetime. I hope that someone can look at my experiences and know that I lived my life to the fullest. I'm curious, what do you look forward to most about getting older? :)