Growing up, the most mundane life experiences tended to stress out my little mind. Worrying about the foods on my dinner plate touching or missing the latest airing of a Disney Channel Original movie resulted in my mind spiraling. My innocent little mind had such a simple view of the world. As a child, I did not understand why my parents could not just flip a switch and make my problems vanish. I did not understand why my older brother would always want to be alone in his room or why I was not allowed to buy $10 games on my mom’s phone. Life was easy and fun. Back then, I lived my life playing with Barbies, watching DIY videos on YouTube, teaching myself gymnastics in my backyard and baking cookies with my mom all without a care in the world. 

As I grew up and experienced more and more, my perspective of the world began to change. Suddenly, my parents were not these perfect human beings set on Earth solely to protect me. I realized they had problems of their own to deal with. I now know that my siblings as well were simply living their own separate lives. It seems with a blink of an eye I am now like the older high school and middle school students that I would see my mom teaching. They used to look so big and mature. In my mind, they had their lives figured out. Now being in their shoes, I realize none of this was the case. I look at myself now and realize how small and unsure I actually feel. 

Then there is the idea of college and graduating high school. As a second grader, this seems so far away. As a junior, it is scary close. My younger self imagined me as the owner of a cute bakery or a fashion designer. Constant daydreams filled my head of what this could have looked like. Fast forward a few years and it is almost time to accept my diploma and decide what it is I truly want to pursue as a profession. Suddenly, I am at a loss. There are so many possible options; it is truly overwhelming. Being older, I am also now able to understand the amount of work and effort needed to obtain these careers. As a child I believed anyone could do anything. 

It can be easy to get caught up in worrying about all the small details.  I often find myself wishing we could go back to simpler times. I sometimes forget it is not just the world that has changed around me but my mind as well. I have been through good times and bad, both of which have shaped me into the person I am today. Although I do cherish who I was as a child, it is just as important to value the person I have grown to become.