Should've Listened
Mom and Dad, y'all were right
Today, on my drive home from Pilates (a critical step in the daily routine I’ve developed to keep me in a tolerable mood—you're all welcome), I realized I was wearing a long-sleeve shirt and a sweater. Look, at 6:45 in the morning, I’ll admit I’m not always fully aware of my clothing choices until I get to the Pilates studio, and today was no different.
Anyway, as I drove home with the windows cracked and "Peaceful Easy Feeling" by the Eagles playing, I started thinking about The OC, the show I was watching last night.
**DISCLAIMER:**
This is NOT a spoiler alert. But if you’re still worried I might slip, feel free to skip ahead. For those who don’t really care, this is just for context… okay?
Now that that’s out of the way… here’s some much-needed context:
In the third season, Seth Cohen, who might also claim the title of the ultimate outsider, starts his senior year of high school and shares his anxiety with friends and family about college.
Okay, back to my rambling session
So, cut back to me this morning—driving home from Pilates, listening to "Peaceful Easy Feeling," suddenly realizing I’m wearing both a sweater and a long sleeve, when all of a sudden my mind jumps back to The OC, which I was binge-watching last night. I thought about Seth Cohen and his anxieties about leaving for college, and then I thought about us, you and me.
Growing up, I was always told, "Before you know it, it will all be over." Sure, that sounds a bit dark, but what my parents meant was: be present, live in the moment, and take chances because, before you know it, in the blink of an eye, it will be over.
Life moves fast, and before you know it, the big moments (which include but aren’t limited to) graduating, moving, or settling down, are here.
I began to wonder, why is it that when we’re young, all we want is to grow up, but once we’re grown up, we just want to be young again?
Remember Jenna Rink in 13 Going On 30, who, on her 13th birthday, just wanted to be “thirty, flirty, and thriving”? Maybe you don’t want to be 30, but a lot of us are eager for what tomorrow brings before today’s even over. Yes, I’m guilty of this too.
Remember those graduation parties where you’d end up in a random 20-minute chat, and at the end, whoever you were talking to would say, "Before you know it, you’ll be graduating," or "Before you know it, you’ll be a senior," or something similar? We’d politely nod, thank them for their wisdom, and move on.
Many people in my generation, as well as those who follow, have become the broken record, always saying, “I know” when someone tells us that our college years will fly by, even though sometimes we aren’t really listening.
Here comes the hard part… Mom and Dad, you were right.
Believe me, I am shocked too that I admitted that, especially on the internet. But, what can I say? It is true, and outsider is no liar.
Allow me to explain —
These last four years? They really did fly by. I thought about Seth Cohen and his pre-college jitters, and I connected with him because I felt those nerves, that mix of excitement and anxiety, before my freshman year at USC.
And now? Now I sit in the car, layered up in a sweater and long sleeves, realizing my parents were right (wow, that’s somewhat painful to admit). The temperature dropped, the calendar flipped, and here we are, driving on a brisk November day, looking toward the horizon that holds our future, one that’s fast approaching.
So, as the ultimate outsider, I have a confession and a piece of advice.
Confession: I guess this makes me one of the adults now, and as hard as it is to admit, these years really do fly by.
Advice: If you’re starting a new chapter in your life, wherever you are, take each moment—the good and the bad—and cherish it. Before you know it, you’ll turn around, and in the blink of an eye, that chapter will be closed.
And just like that,
perhaps a new chapter awaits.
xx,
sunshine, the ultimate outsider