Growing Pains
(Florence + The Machine - Addicted to Love)

I know I haven't written in awhile but such is the pace of life these days that I really do not have time to sit and reflect much. There's always something to do now that I have a full-fledged career, got married and . I also need to support all the new adult debt I've acquired in the past couple of years. I thought owning a condo was a big step and tons of responsibility. I've entered the next phase with this house and it seems as though there isn't enough I can do to catch up.

And it would almost seem as though there's some negativity in my voice but there are definitely positives to all of this. As painful as the work and effort put into growing up, the reward is what keeps us all going isn't it? I mean we all do this to realize the dream of one day having a family and owning a house where we can watch our kids grow up, don't we?

Which gets me to what I've been thinking about lately...

It seems as though the older I get, the more accelerated my growth and maturity occur. I remember trying to understand myself and struggling with figuring out who I was and how I was going to accomplish things in life. Wishing I could just solve the puzzle and get to the finish line sooner. I didn't really appreciate the process as much.

These days, things are happening at such a fast pace that I am a bit scared that life is simply going to pass me by. How do I slow down the pace and simply enjoy the adventure more? Am I destined to simply spend all my hours working and supporting the family and renovating/maintaining the house? I keep joking with my friends telling them that "This is my nightmare!", but the reality is that it's part of the dream I've always wanted for myself only now that I've arrived, it's overwhelming.

I'm hoping and I suspect that I am right that the pace of life is like a bell curve. You spend your early years really struggling to find yourself and equip yourself with the best tools to succeed in life. It's a slow process. Then as you hit your 30's, you know your goals and your dreams are no longer the pipe type and you're well equipped to fulfill them. Fast forward to your mid to late 30's and now you've hit the ground running and before you know it, you've got a family, a full-fledged career and you spend your weekends fixing things around the house and making sure the kids are well-adapted for the same journey you took. By the time you hit your 50's your kids are (hopefully) no longer as dependent on you and are making good decisions based on their wonderful upbringing. Now is when things slow down for you and you sit back and enjoy watching your kids face the same challenges. Your career is no longer going up but rather holding steady until you're ready to retire.

This is when I hope to sit back and fondly reminisce and reflect upon the sometimes slow, sometimes fast-paced rollercoaster ride that was/is my life.