On a rainy Friday last year, I achieved my most wanted goal – turning eighteen. The current me wonders what all the fuss about turning eighteen was, as a year later, I still find myself—body and soul—stuck in those lockdown days.
As I mentioned, turning eighteen was indeed a goal I had. Being a single child and also the youngest among my cousins, I often used to look up to my brothers and sisters. They studied hard, and some of them are even placed at famous companies. To me, with age came respect and the space to express one’s views. So, a younger me was quite convinced that being an adult—or reaching adulthood—meant gaining some sort of power.
But as I reached high school, I realized that as age increases, so do the difficulties in our life. After high school graduation, I again had a false idea—that in college, both I and the people I met would be mature, as we were now young adults. But I was wrong again. One year into college, and I am still a teenager with very little maturity, surrounded by people just like me.
But things have changed a bit. I often find myself critically analyzing things around me, which for me is a sign of maturity.
The thing is, the young adult days for all of us are often a time of confusion. We are not yet fully adults in our minds, but sometimes we are expected to act like one. On the other hand, we don’t always get the space to express ourselves completely or have a say, because at that time, we are still expected to be teenagers. With all these confusions, we are expected to behave according to society, which can be overwhelming.
We are not arrogant or back-talkers but people in a tough stage of life. The beauty of this stage is that we automatically adjust to the things that happen in life. We learn to accept our fate, and we will always fight for ourselves in any situation.
Like Greg in The Wimpy Kid, we often crave recognition and a place for ourselves in society. I, in particular, like to take up responsibility to showcase my potential and be a responsible individual. Everyone loves recognition, but being recognized for something unique within oneself is truly special. That is what we as young adults need—to gain some recognition in our own unique arena.
No one is perfect. Everyone has to cope with themselves and evaluate their life constantly. But this stage of life—when you meet some good people and learn new things—is when it’s okay to make mistakes, because this is the time you change and adapt the most.
It is hard to live through this phase of life, but it is the time we will all remember for the rest of our lives. All the moments—whether sweet or bitter—will be a treasure to remember. Amidst all this confusion and rapid change in and around me, this young adult phase will always be my greatest achievement.
Real I can relate to this🙂↕️
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