Growing older is bittersweet!

I recently had a conversation with a friend, and we reminisced about our good times in middle and high school. During the conversation, I remembered how those times weren’t as fun as now. Like many, you yearn to be older in adolescence and young adulthood. You want to be old enough to make your own decisions and have your own freedom. We do not understand that our entire life changes when certain aspects of our life change. For example, we want the freedom of living independently but are unprepared for the changes that come with it. We do not understand that when we live alone, we won’t have the same interactions with family and friends that we once had. We don’t understand that with age and freedom comes responsibility. We no longer have our parents making the decisions for us, and our decisions can have positive or negative lifetime consequences.

I know that this blog post has been pointing out the bitterness of growing older. It is not all bitter. One positive aspect that was listed above is freedom. When you reach a legal age, you can make your own decisions. Those decisions can positively or negatively affect your life, but you must decide which way it goes. This life journey is long and complicated, with few second chances. We live, and we learn. Though some people may see this as bitter, I think it is sweet. It means I am responsible for my happiness, and no one can interfere without my consent. I don’t have to wait on the world to give me happiness; I have the freedom to go out and make it myself. There are tons of possibilities, and the world is endless. You can meet new people, try new things, and figure yourself out. If you don’t like something, you can change it.

However, like most things in life, there is a negative side to it all. Growing older usually means losing people and things. As you get older, so do those around you. People grow and change and find new things that make them happy. This means you may not have the same relationship you once had with family and friends. As the cliché goes, “Things change, and people change.” That one friend you thought you couldn’t live without, you learn that you can breathe just fine without them. You learn that you are not as close to your extended family as you once were. The saddest part about losing people is losing them forever. As stated above, as you age, so do those around you. People grow old, and they die. It is sad, but it is just a part of life. As you lose people, you also lose things. For instance, you lose free time. When you are older, you no longer enjoy the luxury of lounging around and not having a car. You have real responsibilities, and you must do the hard work to ensure they are fulfilled. The most important thing you lose is your childhood. You lose all those things that made your childhood awesome. You realize that things will never be the same.

Until next time:

Let God’s light shine within you and through you!