February 27th, 1998 – the day an icon was born. The icon in question? Yours truly.
Okay, fine, I’m an icon in the making. But if you don’t believe in yourself, who will? Besides, I share a birthday with Elizabeth Taylor. That should be enough said.
Anywho, my mid-20s welcomed me warmly, and I wanted to share the wisdom of my fully developed frontal lobe.
It’s quite a surreal feeling watching the kids I grew up with begin to marry and have children. I remember throwing snowballs at passing cars and playing spin-the-bottle in my mom’s basement with these people. Now I see them on Instagram flashing their engagement rings and baby shower photos. I couldn’t even imagine myself in that position. I felt like a child myself still. Owning a home and starting a family never entered my realm of possibility. I figured that I would feel this way forever. How does one transition from the mindset of a child still under the guidance of parents into becoming a parent yourself? Into starting your own family and your own autonomous life.
Unfortunately, the “adult” title is not immediately endowed to you upon reaching legal age. Even though I was frolicking about Miami aged 18-23, frequenting bars and nightclubs, I was only posing as an adult, experimenting with the freedom of post-high school graduation. I could wear skimpy clothes and high heels, purchase cocktails at happy hour, and take trips across the country with friends. Yet, I was still a kid.
At 24 I began to plant the seeds of responsibility that, ultimately, are blooming now. Today, I feel like an adult for the first time. Adulthood seems to be the point where you understand the significance of responsibility and have developed how to fulfill it.