~ coming of age ~

I've always loved the scene in Bye Bye Birdie when Kim sheds her innocence and puts on her big girl sweater.  Watching it as a ten year old, it made me long for the days when I could go to parties and wear lipstick.  You know, a ten year old's idea of "grown up" things.

Now I'm going through a coming of age, similar to Kim's.  I'm eighteen.  An official highschool graduate with one year of college under my belt.  I have a job, I own a business, I can legally vote, and I can schedule my own doctor appointments.  In other words, I'm an adult.  (insert Psycho theme song here).

I'm not so sure how I feel about this.  I'm at the age that I used to see and think "psh...that's YEARS away.  I'll have it all figured out by then!"  Well here I am, and trust me when I say how wrong my ten year old self was.

Maybe I have a few things figured out, but the vast majority is still a dizzying array of options, which I feel very fortunate to have.  But there's no denying the fact that it's scary.  And there's no denying the fact that I feel old - I don't think I'll ever get used to being called "ma'am."

As my wise mama said to me, "You never get used to how old you are.  That never changes."  Amidst a constantly changing world, finally I've found something that never will.  And for this new adult, that makes things a little less scary.

xoxo,
Eliza