Maybe Say It

When I was a kid, I used to believe that growing up meant I could do whatever I wanted. The grown-up me is now laughing and crying at the thought. I wish, however, that it were true. Kids believe in a lot of things that we now find ridiculous and naive. But sometimes, I miss the way we held those beliefs so close to our hearts, fully convinced they were real and true.

Now that we’re older, have we become smarter and wiser? Or have we just become jaded after all of life’s disappointments? It’s not that I want to put on a pair of rose-colored glasses and be unrealistic. But I think that in order to overcome a school of hard knocks, we could use some of that unwavering trust in the good things and a little less of adult cynicism.

Maybe we can’t trust that the world will be fair like we used to think when we were kids, but we can still believe that maybe tomorrow will be better.

Maybe we were hit with the limitations of life pretty early to believe that the world is full of adventures, but we can still appreciate the peace in the little moments that often go unnoticed.

Maybe we have learned that friends don’t stay friends forever, but we can still cherish the memories we made together.

Maybe a heartbreak made you realize that love cannot fix everything, but I’d like to think that it gives us the courage to face what it cannot change.

I know that the weight of adulthood had somehow pushed us to drop a little of the wonder we used to carry. But it’s not too late to pick up a few of those again and give them a more realistic home. Growing up shouldn’t have made us stop believing in what seems ridiculous now. It should only teach us how to believe in them differently.