Undoubtedly, like the rest of us, you had woken up to some reality that was not yet your own. Surrounded by older looking individuals who seemed, simply by age, to have it all put together. "They’re old, so they must know." But after going on this hike, somewhere along the way, you began to realize that no one had it "all figured out." That the people you once looked at in positions of power — whether it be in school, work, or home — had gotten lost along the way.

In truth, time stands still for no one. And because of this, we all get old. There are no prerequisites to aging, merely having the patience to sit around long enough; waiting for time to pass us by. There is no "figuring" anything "out," no "lesson to be learned" in order to enter into adulthood, there is only you using your past experience to guide you. There is no standard, archetypal "adult" like you once believed — there is only you, older. 

Understanding this, it is important to hold on to the adult you had once believed in and become that. The pinnacle of who you wanted yourself to be, not some formalized concept of what you had been told to grow into, simply because that's what everyone else was doing. No, first realize then embody the person you know you are through the guides of wonder and excitement. There are no "real adults" in this world, only "older kids." To stay in wonder and live through excitement is to never forget that you are that child; with innocence being the key to your fascination. Through fascination, you can stay just one step away from becoming jaded.

There are no rules to this thing, only the ones we have developed for ourselves. Remember who it is that you wanted to be and be that. Otherwise, you will have gone to sleep at 20, and died at 25, moving forward through time in a fog of disillusionment and disdain; rather than experiencing life for what it truly is: an open-ended source of wonder and excitement.

So, be happy, be free, be you; stay innocent as you move through this transient experience with genuine intrigue and fascination... All before it's too late...

Life can be "one hell of a trip!" or it can be some monotonous experience on your way towards dying. The choice is yours.