Being an adult? Totally overrated, I mean seriously, don’t be fooled by all the cool phones, smart shirts, plain chinos and shiny shoes, or even the great sex, and the no parents anywhere telling you when to go to bed or what not to do or do, Adulthood is a state of sheer RESPONSIBILITY.
Responsibility? It really does sucks, really, really sucks. Adults have to be in certain places, earn a living, pay the bills, and think about tomorrow (even when today is yet to begin). It really does sucks. And if you’re training to be a Surgeon (holding a human’s heart in your hands) or an Engineer (building a bridge)? Hello, talk about responsibility.
Got the drift yet? The point is, enjoy the days of your youth, and embrace the worry free life, the untainted enthusiasm of life, the unadulterated dreams and plans. Because soon enough, all you’ll be doing is worry.
If you are a Nigerian living in Nigeria, I put the tipping point at just before leaving high school. I almost slipped into despair, but I somehow managed to keep solace in solitude and philosophy.
As a young man about to leave the naïve world of high school, you will worry about getting good grades in your SSCE/WAEC examinations, then you start worrying about writing the annual JAMB Entrance exam for admission into the institutions for higher learning, if you manage to scale that, you worry about the Post JAMB Screening, you scaled that as well? Then you start worrying about the final Selection process. If you are finally admitted, the worries just simply do not end there.
The entry registration process in itself is another story only better understood when you’ve gone through it yourself.
On to the next one; you start worrying about getting good grades in your courses with little or no margin for error (God save you if you are a female student in a Nigerian higher institution) while constantly peeping into the future to see what it holds.. Ah ha, the future.
The fear of the unknown, getting a good job, starting a family, fulfilling your family responsibilities, living the good life, keeping a lovely home, going on a vacation etc. And the worries continue, so my dear readers, if you are still in that very youthful stage, please do try and enjoy it. You only live once #YOLO.
You don’t want to be old without ever growing up.
Twitter & Instagram: @IamAdegab
