The Curse of Growing Up – GROWTH Competition Submission

In the midst of all the chaos, during the busiest time in school, it all suddenly stopped. Silence fell among the lunchtime crowd and I quickly looked up from my seat towards the frozen world around me, finally able to take a breath. Everything was still, even the clock above all of our heads had halted to stop as if it grew tired of doing its job. I was the only one moving. I could finally see as if a storm had passed. As I scanned the faces of these kids I’ve known my whole life, I couldn’t help but notice how much they had matured. Their once bright, cheerful faces had grown dull that they were hardly recognizable. Moving through the cafeteria like a museum exhibit, I observed the frozen figures around me. It hits me that these kids that I used to play tag with and run away from were no longer the same. It torments me how dangerously time moves that we evolved into completely different people. Some for the better and some not. Even down to our appearance has changed. Our once small tiny bodies have bloomed into something much worse. Beauty. It’s a curse but that’s the consequence of growing up. It’s horrible and painful but it’s beautiful. It’s seeing a rainbow on a rainy day while surrounded by ugliness and darkness nevertheless there’s always a strip of light, and beauty waiting to be seen. As I wander back to my seat I ponder how these golden years make you grow. They really have an impact on who you become, and who you choose to be. How you mature and act. After taking my seat everything suddenly shifts again but this time life resumed. Life goes on and the world keeps spinning round and round. I soon become an observer again and I watch as time becomes a big blur around me. Everything went back to normal and that feeling of being stuck came back. It’s a feeling of being trapped and letting time slip away that I’ve been experiencing for as long as I can remember because suddenly the world becomes too fast for me and I feel lost once more. But this is life, an endless opportunity for growth, learning, and experiencing love and joy.