“Grow up”, they said.
“It’ll be fun”, they said.
Let me ask you something. On a scale of one to ten, how eager were you to grow up? Well, one being the lowest degree, I’d like to rate my eagerness as ZERO. I don’t know I guess I had always known what waited for us out there. And if you still haven’t figured out what I am talking about, let me spell it out for you.
“It’s a freakin’ trap.”
Does it make you sad knowing that some of the best moments of your life are the ones you don’t even remember? Back when you were the boss and everything was by your side? All you needed to do was, oh well, what does a baby need to do? That’s right. CRY. Hungry? Cry. Thirsty? Cry. Bored? Duh, cry. Cry and seek attention. Sleep all day, cry all night. Boy, those were the days.
Ever look at a baby and not feel envious? You ask me, I think babyhood is the best thing to have ever happened to anyone. Everything is so perfect. Everything you do is such a big deal. “Aww, look at that tiny little thing, I could watch her slumber all day.” “Look at those tiny little feet.” “OH MY GOD, HE TOOK HIS FIRST STEP.” “SHE JUST SAID HER FIRST WORDS, HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE.” You got a fair picture of what’s it’s like to be a baby.
There was a time when people waited hours for you to say something, that something being utter nonsense. And now? Now you talk, nobody listens. Back then, they cherished your giggle. Laugh now, and you definitely end up offending someone. You cry, they roll eyes. *sighs*
But, what if, it’s not as perfect as we think it is? I mean, by far, we have all learnt how things appear so different from what they really are. For instance, how dangerous can a piece of paper be? And when the same piece of paper shows up at your desk in an examination hall, no, no, I shouldn’t be opening those gates anytime soon. What I am trying to say is that maybe it was not all good. Maybe there were times we wouldn’t have cherished remembering. Maybe we felt desperate to be understood. Maybe the pain we endured while getting our teeth wasn’t worth remembering. Or maybe we don’t remember because it makes life easier to bear.
From babyhood to childhood, things go smoothly. There is school though, but it’s not so bad. And just as when you start making peace with your life, teenage happens.
And we all have a fair idea of what teenage is like; a rollercoaster of emotions and disasters, an awkward ugly phase and a list of never ending crushes. If I be more precise, teenage is like somebody strapped you to a roller coaster and put on the “FINAL DESTINATION.” but that is still okay. ‘Cause the worse is yet to come.
You know what the difference between teenage and adulthood is? Teenage was just a motion ride while adulthood is the actual roller-coaster. It’s messier. You get a lot of surprises. Betrayals and responsibilities gift wrapped at your doorstep, delivered to you, every passing day.
And the pile of responsibilities keeps loading and loading till you start to bend under the pressure. That’s your cue to know you’re old. And before you know it, it’s all gone. You are feeble, weak, dependent. Your memory is cloudy, your judgment’s vague. You are just like a child, only in a much worse form. Because at first, you didn’t have it. Now you have lost it. Your strength, your intellect, your immunity, it all starts to fade. And so do you. The pain, oh that loneliness and pain.
Oh wait, no, don’t go for the window, there is plenty good in life. Like, like… talk to some optimist, maybe?
So, I ask you, what is it about the birthdays that excites you so much? I mean you are practically a year short to life. (I get why a pessimist would be happy). You are growing towards the age of never ending responsibilities and deceptions and harsh reality slaps, not to mention, failing health, feeble bones, weaker mechanisms. So you still excited to grow up kiddo?
