Nov 22 2008
Still Growing
Lately, I have been having bouts of nostalgia and feeling like I want to be 16 again. That was a great for me, although it was not a great time for many people here at that time. The city was dealing with a highly elevated crime rate with people being killed almost every night. Back then, I was two years away from being a legal adult and making my own decisions and I loved it. Life was still good when I turned 18, got my first tattoo, danced the night away at a club for the first time, and enlisted in the Marine Corps. Fourteen years later, I am sometimes amazed at how those early days seem like yesterday to me.
I love being 32 and feel stronger, mentally and physically, than I did after becoming a Marine. I have always heard that the “thirties” is the decade where you find yourself and mold yourself into what you want to be. Since 2006, I have learned it is also the time when little things have more importance and you give more thought to your actions and behavior. Although perpetually impatient, I am calmer than my 21 year old self. I am still learning that wisdom comes from life experiences, both good and bad, and how you deal with them. I even find myself telling my daughter the same things my mother used to say to me.
Regaling my daughter with stories of my childhood and early adulthood give me great pleasure because it enables me to share my memories of a different era with her. Every day, I try to make her youth as enjoyable or better than mine was. Watching her grow into young woman is the best thing I could ask for. This growing up thing is pretty cool.
