So today I went to drop off my sister at her old high school, and as I watched other students walk around the campus and interact with each other, I must say I did not like the feeling I got at all! Most people I know are always talking about how they dread the responsibility that comes with growing older and how they’d do anything to go back to their high school days, but I could not disagree more (despite the fact that I absolutely loved my own high school days as well)! In fact, one of my closest friends was recently reluctant to celebrate her birthday because she didn’t want another reminder of growing a year older, and another friend wanted to cancel her birthday dinner because so many of her friends cancelled on her; it took quite a while for me to convince her that people changing their plans is no reason to keep her from celebrating her own life!

To all of you who agree with said friends and most other people I know, here is what I think: Yes, high school was a great time with little responsibility and a lot more free time, but what I have now is so much better. Back then, I didn’t have the slightest clue about what was really important. I didn’t have even half the knowledge and skills I have today that get me through each day. And I certainly did not have my current way of thinking and living or any idea of what it means to see the big picture. This is why I love birthdays, even if people cancel, even though because I get a year older, it is a time to celebrate being alive and all that one has accomplished. Today, I do have problems and a lot more responsibility, but I know I know who I am, what my life is all about, and how to handle things in a way that leaves me happier than I ever was in high school, and that is worth a thousand times more than the carefree yet naive and small world I grew up in!