Lately I've been coming to some very difficult realizations about growing up. I thought that I was getting the hang of this adulthood thing, I really did. I'm married, we just moved into our first house, and I'm at the tail end of my graduate program. I feel more mature than I was even just four years ago, and it feels like I've found a great direction in my life.
While those are all important things, none of them really compare with the growing pains. As adult as I thought I was becoming, all it took was a bad tumble to make me realize that I was still viewing myself-- all of my friends, really-- as young and carefree. Bad things don't happen to young people like us, I thought. Bad things don't happen because we still have so much of life to live, and we're far too young to face anything that could take that away.
Realizing and accepting that this is not the case, that bad things can happen to anyone at any age, is hard. It's really hard. One of my dear friends was recently diagnosed with cancer, and while she has a very good prognosis, receiving the news has shaken me quite a bit. It's not fair when the people you love get hurt, and it's scary when they get hurt in such a big way. It's as though the universe has sent a giant wave crashing over you just to remind you that you are, in fact, not truly carefree, and you're certainly not invincible. Thanks, universe. We got the memo.
This is one of the hard parts of growing up. I still have all of the pleasant milestones, and there will be more to come, but right now I'm treading around one of the darker points. One of our friends joked that at least such an upsetting event happened at a time in our lives when we are all strong enough to deal with it, and while I think we all would have found a way to get through regardless, I am grateful that even in the face of cancer, we are strong. My friend is strong, and she will beat this.
I would like to ask for your prayers that my friend will beat her cancer and find the strength to get through the days that are to come. And, because we are all human and prone to the ups and downs of life, give your loved ones a hug. Call the friend you've been meaning to get back to. Life is too short, and we need to be present in the lives of those we love.
