I am slowly coming to the conclusion that there is no such thing as acting your age. Allow me to explain. In our minds, we are invincible. It’s like we are born with the idea that we are the most indestructible beings. That’s why babies tend to waddle towards things that may hurt them. (I am a babysitter back home, and the amount of times the newly walking babies waddle in front of a slide as a kid is sliding is down is ridiculous.) The horrid reality is we are much more fragile than we think. We are fragile, not in a sense that we are cheaply made like a dollar store off-brand Barbie but fragile like the antiques your grandma has in her living room. We are valuable. Like fine wine, we get better with age. Some become sweet, others become dry and some bitter. We age with time and experience, making our lives rich in taste and insight.

Although it is inevitable, I have a slight fear of growing up. After all, I don’t know what I am doing now! How am I going to know what I am doing then?! If you were like me when you were younger, you pictured college students as being well-put-together, intelligent beings. Now that we’re of college age; we’ve realized the rumors about always being broke are true, we don’t know what we’re talking about half of the time and we’re barely holding on to our sanity with each day.

What I am trying to say is that “acting your age” is a myth we have made up to justify why another person’s behavior is not acceptable. I don’t think there’s a single way we are supposed to act. The main problem with this myth is it implies that as adults we aren’t allowed to engage in innocent fun. I certainly don’t fit this idea in any way. I have so many quirky things about me, it’s ridiculous. I love fluffy slime — it relieves stress for me, I take pictures for fun and I have a typewriter.

The only thing that is really scary is feeling like you can’t have fun in this day and age. I feel like today people are too concerned with how others will perceive them. I think we all have a right to enjoy life. So, act like you at your age, and if you don’t know what that is, figure it out! Forget what other people see. What quirky, weird things do you enjoy? Don’t be afraid to be the rich, fine wine you are.  

Thoughts?

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