When I Grow Up

I used to think there would be a day I would 'arrive' and know that I had made it,  that I was a big girl now and would never again have to revisit that place of bratty, childish behavior. It catches you by surprise even still, the same way it did when when you were twelve or thirteen and you spent hours mad at the whole world because everyone was just dumb. And then, after the mad, you saw things weren't exactly what it seemed to be at the time. The surprise is the waking up from the tantrum and seeing where you went wrong. You began to realize there was a whole other side to the story you were currently living. You started to recognize the times you were maybe a little bit   whole lot wrong and that correction was your due course. That is the point you begin to grow up.

 Before you know it though, life can take you for a loop and you are on another ride on the roller coaster protesting all the way, "No, no, no, someone get me off this thing!" At which point someone older and wiser often points out the fact that you are the one who chose to take that particular ride and that it would be oh so much wiser to hang on and enjoy it.

When you realize they are right, then maybe you have grown up. I intend to grow up any time now.