Sometimes it feels like we don't truly feel our age.

Sometimes it feels like we don't truly feel our age.

heeseung from enhypen

We may-be grown up on the outside, but inside, it’s easy to feel just as we did at 12 or 13, like kids, almost, no matter how many years go by. Time moves- so fast, and suddenly, we’re adults with responsibilities, facing a world that just keeps getting more complicated.

We miss the simplicity of being young, of feeling like we had all the time in the world. Growing up is hard, maybe one of the hardest things we’ll ever go through. No one really teaches us how to handle the changes, how to navigate adulthood, or how to face these years head-on.

And yet, we go on, often feeling like we're just pretending to be strong, to have it-all together, especially for our parents. We have to be "grown-ups" for them, to show that we're doing okay, even when we feel anything but. It's easy to forget that our parents are human, too.

When we were kids, they were just as - young as we are now, figuring things out as they went. They were once just as unsure, just as overwhelmed. They’re on their own journey, just like we are, learning as they go🙎🏻‍♀️ I think sometimes we forget that by leaning on them, by sharing our lives with them, we’re also comforting them.

When we let them in and ask for help we remind them that they’re needed, that they’re not alone. Because we’re all just doing our best. We all feel a little lost, and in connecting with each other, we help each other feel less alone.

And in loving people, whether it's our friends, family, or even ourselves,we can see how much we've grown. We start to notice how our love changes, how we treat each other with a little more care, a little more patience. I've been through something difficult lately, almost losing my mom, and it opened my eyes to so much. Life happens, whether we're ready or not. It moves on, even when we're holding on so tightly, afraid of losing what we love.

When I saw my mom going through something so hard, I realized she's just as vulnerable as I am. She, too, was a child once. She's carried all her memories and experiences, just as I'm carrying mine The person I love so deeply is a collection of years, moments, and memories, all held together by time. And I see myself the same way, a blend of the child I once was, the young person I am now, and everything I'm becoming.

Through it all, I’ve realized that life is precious because it’s fleeting, because we change and grow and healthy deeply than we thought could. So, if you’re feeling the weight of growing up or missing the simplicity of being young, just know,you’re not alone in that. We’re all navigating this together, leaning on each other, learning how to love a little better, and maybe, just maybe, feeling a little less alone along the way...