Growing up

Growing up is basically the coolest thing on this planet.

I never understood why any kid my age ever said that they didn't want to grow up. I would look at them and say, "Are you serious? Why? Look at what the 3rd graders get to do. Why don't you want to be like them?" And later on, "Not grow up, what kind of crazy person wants to be stuck in junior high forever?" And later still, "You want to stay as a senior in high school forever? What kind of life would that be? College may be awful, but it's got to be better than high school. Anything has to be better than high school." I also get annoyed with adults who tell me that one day I'll just wish that I could be a child again. I want to look at them and say (but you can't, because it's considered disrespectful - which by the way is another reason to grow up, then everybody is younger then you, and it's not disrespectful anymore, it's witty) "You want to be a child again, okay, give me your car keys, give me your bank account, give me your house, go back to school, go back to day care, go back to being dependent on your parents for everything, go be a child again." Even if you could say that to some adult's face, some (thinking that they're smart) adult would say "You want my keys, okay, You want my house, okay, But guess what, you have to take the bills that go along with those things, you have to take the mortgage, you have to take the kids doctors bills, you have to take all the not fun stuff of being an adult." And even if you could get an adult to go that far you would probably never find an adult that you could say this to, "You want me to take the bills? Fine. You want me to take the mortgage? Fine. But do you know what those things mean? Those things mean that you have enough money to afford a house in the first place. Which means you have a job that is paying you enough to afford a house. Those bills mean that you have enough independence to buy things that require the sending of a bill.
You can get rid of those on your own. I'm pretty sure homeless people aren't paying a mortgage. Please stop your complaining, because when you leave you're going to get in your car, and drive it to your home, and eat food that you bought, and get in your bed, and wake up the next morning and go to your job. Why in the world do you want to be a kid again? It seems like what you want when you say you wish you were a kid again is some twisted view of what being a kid actually was. You say there weren't any worries? What about that nasty neighbor kid? How were you supposed to know that there were bigger problems in the world? What you really miss about being a kid is the "seemingly" lack of responsibility. Is that what you want to revert to? Less responsibility? Don't make me tell you what that means about your character." And yes, that is the conversation that goes through my mind every time some adult tells me that they wish they were a kid again.

Now that I ripped on the adults, I would like to rip on my peers.
We have an annoying way of waiting for our life to begin. I'm sick and tired of talking to people who are just biding their time until their life really starts. (I've even heard them say that) I just want to say, "Hey, it's already here. Start living it. Don't spend to much time trying to figure out when your life actually began, because, that's apparently hard for you, but instead, just start living your life." (Every time I say the phrase "just start living your life" it sounds like a lame advertising phrase. All I mean by the phrase is that people should stop waiting for some occasion get their life going.) I actually have said that. Peers are a lot easier to rip on. Think about it, how long this waiting for life could go on. For example: I'll admit it, I have this dream. It's me living in my own house (where everything is clean), and I have this job, that I love doing. And I go to this job, enjoy it, and come home to a quiet home, and enjoy that too. Now, in that beautiful scenario, when does my life truly start? When I have a job that I kind of enjoy? What if I don't have a lot of money when I move out, and I have to room with somebody else? Does my life not start until I get my own place? What if I hate the job that I'm doing, but I have my own home? Do I have to change jobs for my life to begin? What if living on my own (where everything is clean), and loving my job is not what I'm supposed to be doing with my life? What will I do then? I was e-mailing a friend a link to a horrific article (so they could enjoy it, just like I did), this article had me charting internet waters that I don't usually enter. But while I was cutting and pasting the browser address. I saw an advertisement for another article. It was entitled "In the meantime, what to do until your future husband arrives." I didn't read the article (I didn't have the time, or the patience) but it reminded me of a few books that an acquaintance (note the word acquaintance) read and recommended. I always hate when people recommend books that by the title alone, I know I will hate. This one was entitled "What's a girl to do? While waiting for Mr. Right" The other book was "Lady in Waiting; the expanded edition" (There are so many horrible comments that I could make about that expanded edition thing. You should be proud of me because I restrained myself. Especially because it would be so easy.")I listened when the acquaintance told me about the depth in this book, (no, I'm passing right by it, it would be too easy to make comments about that too) and what they were learning. I think I even nodded at one point. When the acquaintance wanted to know if I wanted to borrow their copy, I simply said that I thought I had enough reading material for the summer. Seeing that article, brought all my original anger at the books back. And you were the most convenient receptacle. (RuthAnn's gone) Why are we telling people that they aren't complete until something else comes along? And don't tell me that maybe that book doesn't say that. If someone is going to write a whole book on what to do while waiting, that author is telling the people that are reading it (by virtue of the title alone) that they should be waiting, they are expected to be waiting, they are waiting for something that is better then what they have then, and here are some useful tips to pass the time, until your something better gets there. (It's like those irritating car games your parents always wanted to play with you when you were on a trip) It's condescending, annoying and wrong. What are you waiting for? Why are you waiting? Why do you think your life will be better when you have that something? Your life is now, people. You're already a quarter of the way through it. STOP WAITING. (If the all caps didn't scare you, then you don't know me very well. I never use all caps, unless I'm dying to verbally express something that I can't, (with effusive hand motions.)
It's easy to be mad at something I don't understand, but now it comes to me; What if my dream never shows up? (clean house, happy job) Will I be content? One of the scariest things, that my Mom has ever said to me was "true contentment is being able to answer the question, 'If this is all I ever had, If this is the best it ever got, If this is the happiest I ever was, If this is where I would go to church, If this is the car I would drive, If this is the house I would live in, If this is where I would be for the rest of my life, would I be content?' with a yes." Stop waiting for something (whatever it may be), and start living your life.

Growing up is basically the coolest thing on this planet

I got a little sidetracked there at the end, but you've either stopped reading by now, or you're interested in how I'm possibly going to end this. (I'm interested too) I started this post to tell you about my exciting new things I was able to do, now that I was growing up. It morphed into something else all on it's own. I almost erased it about 6 times, but for some reason I couldn't do it. I have been able to do new, exciting things this summer. And I'm getting excited about every one (even my first car insurance payment). The one thing that I'm really excited about is that tomorrow night, Naomi and I are going to beginners rock climbing class. That's right. Omi's and I are going rock climbing. (I don't know if they let beginners rock climb right away, but we'll find out) It's all right. You can be scared. (I personally think the rock climbing teacher should be the most scared) I promise to tell you all about it.