on growing up and stuff

I'm taking my sweet time to write this because I took a break from my architecture workload, which is a lot, but hopefully I'll get through it. I've been asked to write a column for an online magazine on the topic of growing up, and I find it hard to come up with something. I've thought about it, like, for days.

Growing up, and more so the process of it, is something close to my heart because I'm going through it as we speak. The question is: how do you feel about it? 

Answer: kind of bad. more like uncomfortable. You just have to sit with it and then navigate it to see where you're going to end up. Usually, the fact that some of us are aware of the process is not enough to land us in perfect positions. However, it is a good start and a sign to act on these thoughts and to understand why it hurts. What is it that makes me feel bad? Is it the sudden "ain't it fun living in the real world?" or the issues I've been actively trying to avoid that came crashing down all at once? Facing them head-on would be the bravest thing to do, but will I survive the pain that it implies? 

The truth is, we all have lessons to learn. and sadly or gladly (depending on how you're seeing it), they keep on repeating until we understand where our judgment went wrong. And we do this to ourselves with or without realizing it, but it's so necessary. The change is good.

Such sudden changes can often change our entire perception of our own identity. After all is said and done, who are we really? A poignant need for self-discovery emerges, and then the growing-up process begins and never really ends. and it is absolutely beautiful. I believe the uncomfortable can be mastered and then turned into a friend that lends a hand towards growth.

(that was it, this was my little late-night rant about getting older :>)