Sunday, May 20, 2012

Forever young



It’s been awhile since I’ve last blogged, but I like to think I was spending the time being young.
            As a kid, all I wanted was to be grown up, and now that I’m growing up all I want is to be a kid again. But for once, I’m going to start appreciating the youthfulness that I have, not because I have a youthful spirit or a resilience to grow old, but simply because I was born 20 years ago.
            I recently read a blog about why being in your 20s is awesome. It pointed out that sometimes as a twentysomething, we can resent the crappy apartments and crazy schedules and sheer unpredictability of life.
But that we often take the really good things for granted. Things like feeling my smooth and healthy skin that has seen its fair share of sunburns and laugh lines, but nothing compared to a lifetime’s worth. Things like being able to make plans in a second and change your mind 18 times a day. Things that make being young so fun and envied.
It is time I start seeing all the good in being 20 heading into this capricious decade of life. The world is right in front of my peers and me.
Our dreams fill our minds and days to drive us to success and satisfaction. It is such an exciting time in life to hear about where my friends will be studying: Mexico, Italy, Argentina. It is encouraging to hear what people want to become one day.
They are no longer wisps of dreams in the clouds. They are realities. They are slowly and surely with hard work and perspiration coming to fruition. It is slowly becoming a reality that we are becoming adults.
But I think as we get jobs and begin the adventure of living on our own, we will cling to all the good things about being a kid and let go with grace of a happy childhood. That, I believe, is what defines being 20.  
Much like an Irish Blessing, Bob Dylan said it best.

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young

It is all about living life to fullest on every rung of that ladder that makes being 20 so important. And I hope I never forget that.