Growing Up

Lately I've been trying hard to grow up.
I've been trying to act like the mature, level-headed, reliable, stable 18 yr. old adult that I am.
I mean, its about time, right? I'm already pretty much finished with my first year of college, and in 3 months I will be 19! I've been thinking that some serious growing up is in order.

But then, I was reunited with my old friend Carly.

Carly is my age, older than me by only 14 days. We graduated highschool at the same time, though from different schools. We met at work and instantly became inseparable friends.

However, I quit a while back and we kind of lost contact.
When I ran into her today I learned that she was pregnant with her second child, and due in June. Out of consideration for her daughter that was on the way, she decided to marry the father of her second baby. They were married in a very "last minute" ceremony, at a local church. Carly has been in and out of the hospital for the duration of the pregnancy. Because of her extremely petite body size, her body cant deal with the pregnancy very well.

It was great talking to Carly, and hearing from her after such a long time, but something was different. She seemed distant, and we didnt have that same connection we shared a while back. She told me that she was sad and angry that she had made the same mistake twice. And it went without saying, that Carly had to grow up, faster than anyone should ever have to.

It made me realize that I still have time, I still have freedom, I still have the option to do absolutley anything with my life. I still have time to make mistakes, to go crazy, to make dumb decisions, to experiment with things, to drive fast and take risks and do dangerous stuff and be spontaneous.

 I still have my youth, and growing up can come on its own time, but I have my whole entire life to be an adult, so, I dont think there is any rush.