Poems and Stories

Once, We Were Children

What is it that ushers us from childhood to adulthood?

What is it that determines that important distinction?

I don't remember crossing that line

Is it even a line?

Maybe it's a narrowing bridge

One we aren't even aware we are walking on

We have no choice in the matter

We're skipping along until we see a sign that says "No Skipping"

We're dancing and spinning until we see a sign that says "Walking only"

Slowly, the things we used to love are no longer allowed

We're expected to act and talk a certain way

But when did that happen?

Once we were told to "Dream big, the sky's the limit!"

And then we were told to get our heads out of the clouds

I miss the simple times when I never considered whether something was childish

"Does my laugh sound too much like a giggle?"

"Is this pillow too kiddy?"

"Are these earrings too young?"

We're told that adulthood comes with many responsibilities

But no one truly prepares you for them

"Get good grades"

"Go to college"

"Get a good job"

It sounds so simple

The closer it comes, the more panicked we get

What if we don't fit the mold we've been shaped for?

Do we make our own path, or follow the one expected of us?

When did the day come that we were old enough to make these choices?

In so many ways I still feel like a kid, fumbling through life

Still figuring things out

An "Adult"

But not truly an Adult

The older I get the more I feel like I'm failing at an unspoken of test

What am I measuring myself against?

Are the people around me really as together as they seem?

Or are they struggling as much as I am?

I can't really be the only one that feels like a fraud

Like a little kid stranded in the middle of the road

With every choice I make I'm afraid someone will realize that I've somehow missed a step

That I still feel like a scared kid on the inside

When I decide to have a candy I loved as a kid, I'm afraid it's too "young" for me

When I feel like drawing a silly cartoon I feel like I'm too old to do it

When I see a trampoline the kid in me wants to run and jump and giggle

But the adult in me tells me I can't, the time for that has passed

I try to act like I think I should

Cool, calm, and collected

Together

I'm falling apart trying to be this image I have in my head

But I can't let it show

Right?

I second guess every move I make

I try to forge my own path, try not to care about what anyone thinks

I envy the little girl that didn't think about anyone else

She sang and danced and dreamed

She knew what she wanted

Somewhere along the way it all changed

Will I ever get that back?

I think I know what I want

But I'm scared

What if it's not what I'm supposed to do?

But then I wonder,

Am I supposed to do anything?

Or are all these restrictions in my head?

Did I create my own turmoil?

Maybe society and the people around me started it

But I'm the one continuing it

All I want is to fit in

And maybe that's the problem

Growing up, we're told to be unique

But somewhere along the way we're told to fit in and let go of the things that make us unique

Maybe we should embrace the two parts of our lives

Maybe adulthood is combining the two

There are some things we willingly grow out of

The allure of things we were once obsessed with has faded

But we still look back on it with a smile

But some things never went away

Who determines what is too childish?

Who determines whether or not we can watch a silly movie we loved as a kid?

Who determines what we are supposed to do with our own lives?

I think the world would be a better placed if we all laughed freely

Without concern about how we sound

I think the world would be a better place if we all looked at the sky and imagined a bit more

Instead of looking down at the ground

Maybe maturity is recognizing that growing up doesn't mean we grow out of everything

We can still hope and dream

We can still enjoy those candies we loved

We can still jump on a trampoline

But now there are new things we can enjoy

Maybe we need to learn to let go of the chains we have fastened around our own wrists

Maybe we are the only ones that can set ourselves free

And maybe the moment we truly enter into adulthood is when we realize one simple thing:

The bridge isn't narrowing

It's widening

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Hey Guys!

I don't know about any of you but this is something I really struggle with, especially lately

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