Growing Up is Hard to Do

I have decided that being a grown-up is way overrated. I always said that I was the kind of person that would not go back to being a kid again. I love how getting older leads to a better understanding of myself and I honestly like myself much better as an adult way more than I did as a kid. But I must admit I am starting to rethink my stance.

Okay, I do think I am more well rounded as a thirty-three year old woman, and I am sure  glad that I don't have acne or am covered in a layer of "baby fat." I am incredibly thankful that I don't have to worry about what to wear to school in order to get into gym clothes as quickly as possible, or if Ryan Stewart thinks I'm the prettiest girl in fourth grade.  There are some very strong advantages to being a grown-up.

But as an adult I am suddenly faced with the reality that life is happening around me, this is it. We get one shot to make a difference in the lives of our friends, families, the world around us. To be the person that we were created to be.

That's kind of a lot of pressure.

I am struggling to find a way to live out my convictions all the while fulfilling my responsibilites as a functioning adult. How do I fulfill my destiny while I am scrubbing toilets and cooridinating carpool?

It may not be a simple answer, it may not even be the right answer. But one of wisest, most kind-hearted men I know (who also happens to be my father-in-law, friend, and mentor), has given me an idea of what it may be. LOVE. To simply love people, not because they are loveble, or even deserve it, but because they are my fellow man.

I may no longer be able to hop on a plane and join the Peace Corp. But here's the deal; the mom in my playgroup, the grocery store clerk, and the four people I live with every day, have just as an infinite need to be loved as the indigenous peoples of the world. I can be the person who takes the time to listen and understand those around me and to offer them the love that has changed my life. The kind of love that doesn't judge or expect anything in return, but instead offers a safe place to land in a a pretty rocky world.

 So today I say to you, live long and love well.