....Just Try to Never Grow Up

It's fall, and I am wearing a big, warm coat. The slide looks a little intimidating for someone so afraid of heights, but right now, that doesn't matter. I climb the rope stairs, cross the bridge, and sit down at the top of the slide with my legs straight out in front of me. At the bottom of the long, and tall, slide, I see a beautiful face and open arms ready to catch me at the bottom. I feel the cool breeze turning my cheeks bright red as I push myself and gain momentum down the long sheet of plastic. Immediately, I feel the embrace of my mother and hear the joy in her laugh as she hugs me tight. 

Boy do I miss those days. It seems like just yesterday that I was caught up in a world of juice boxes and fairytales. And as I sit here, alone in my concrete dorm room, I start to wish I had never grown up. Why did things have to change? Why did I have to change? I miss the days when the daily question was "What do you want for supper?". I miss being able to run down the stairs on a Saturday morning and cuddle up to my dad with a bowl of Lucky Charms as we watched Pokemon on the WB. For goodness sake, I even miss spelling quizzes. Oh how I wish I could do those instead of term papers. 

Sure I still have parts of my childhood still. I love to watch cartoons and animated movies are still my favorite. I like taking a lollipop and gliding it across my lips like I am wearing lipstick. My sippy cup sits on my desk next to me as I type this, and my stuffed unicorn, duck, and tiger lay on my bed. I also have my baby blanket here with me. That's right, this college girl sleeps with a baby blanket, and you bet that if I could find a cool enough night light for my standards, I would have that too.

It just saddens me that I was in such a rush to grow up. What is even worse is that one day when I have kids and I tell them not to rush becoming an adult, they won't listen just as I did. No one ever listens when their parents say that. We just shake our heads and think they are just trying to stop us from doing super cool things like driving and dating. Honestly, none of it is worth giving up my childhood. For those of you in high school, enjoy your days, because although college is fun and a fantastic adventure, it is a whole lot of responsibility. 

There is just one song playing in my head right now, and that is "Never Grow Up" by Taylor Swift. Such a simple thought that is never achievable, but yet so true.