A conversation with Writer L is the inspiration for today’s post. It’s a conversation that I’ve heard many times in my adult life – what little of it there’s been so far. It’s the conversation you have with a friend where you wish that you were a kid again. I know you’ve likely had this conversation or at least thought about it.
It’s so easy for us to say we wish we were kids again. Things seemed so much easier then (especially in hindsight). There were no worries of finances or relationships. Our parents took care of our boo boos and cared for us when we were sick. Dinner was someone else’s responsibility. At least that’s how it was in my house. I had two wonderful parents. My dad worked hard to make sure we had things and my mom supported us in all of our hopes and dreams. No wonder childhood looks so much easier. (Yes, that’s me fitting in a toddler chair below. The things I’ll do when persuaded by my sister.)
Then, I look at my beautiful furbaby (who loves stealing my seat when I go to shower) and the apartment that I’m currently sitting in and realize that I’ve managed to meet so many of my life goals in such a short period of time. That wouldn’t have been possible if I’d stayed stuck in childhood. Would I still be oblivious to some of the pains that come with growing older? Yes. But would I be able to appreciate the happy moments the same? Likely not.
A conversation with my mom this evening pointed something else out to me that is along the same topic of growing older. We talked about life – how there’s always ups and downs. They come and go. Things are never set in stone and they change all too often. All we can really do is enjoy the here and now and hope the future works out in our favor.
In short, what I’m trying to say is our experiences and decisions make us who we are. I don’t regret any choices that I’ve made in my life and I hope I never do. To me, that’s the most important part of life – living regret free.
The best part of these conversations? I think they may have given me an idea for another novel to tinker with when I run out of steam on my current one. (No, I’m not giving up on the current one. I just like having multiple projects to keep the creativity flowing.) This next one? Let’s just say it’s going to have a “grass isn’t always greener” sort of theme to it. Now, just to decide if it’s going to fall in the young adult or adult category…
