These times of our lives

I have recently been going through a time where I feel as if the choices I need to be making aren't going to be necessarily what I want to be doing, and not even close at that. It is sooo tough to convince myself that I will be happier in the end if I do what needs to be done and move on. Those who are in authority positions around me tell me that I need to be doing this and that, and all of these things. It is in these times that I wonder if still being as young as I am is as good as everyone who's a lot older than me seems to believe it is. I find myself pining to grow, to mature, to be treated as an adult, even though I know I'm not there yet, even though I know I need to be enjoying my last fleeting moments of adolescence before I am thrust into the world of "grown-ups."

As children, we live to grow older, bigger, faster, taller, smarter, better. As teenagers, we focus on becoming older, smarter, more mature, happier. As those who are coming close to shedding the remnants of child-like behavior to become full, working adults find themselves striving to be wiser, more talented, more skilled, better, richer, happier. Adults strain for success, achievement, contentment, acceptance, love. And those who are now looking back on the majority of their lives find themselves wishing for youth, flexibility, and a simple yet somewhat busy life. Granted some of these things can be associated with more than just the age I put them with, but bear with me here; I'll admit that my perception of these facts is most likely distorted because of where and who I am, but all the same, my point is in our youth, we look to the future hoping and wishing, and as the older members later in life, we look to the past hoping and wishing. My wish at present is that I'd learn to be content with where I am in life, age and all.