In less than two weeks, the clock will strike twelve and on a cold Tuesday, I will complete my twenty-fifth revolution around the sun. I will officially become eligible to run for the House of representatives and will enter the world of lower car insurance and quarter-life crises.
I am pretty sure that in the past 25 years I have only learned one thing. Growing up is difficult. Most people who know me closely can attest to my childish qualities. I am overly stubborn and passionate. I am incredibly opinionated. And I like toys and chocolates. I break into dance moves randomly, laugh obnoxiously and obsess over frogs. When someone gives me the silent treatment, I pretend they are planning a surprise. When someone is mad at me, I appease them with knock-knock jokes. And when someone suffers from insomnia, I recommend a dose of Arthur!
But there's more. On my first day at Marquette, a professor mistakenly assumed that I was a high-school senior on my college visit. She consequently explained her imaging research with incredible simplicity. I recently got carded before watching a rated R movie. I am sporting the same hair-cut that I had weeks before I turned 21. And my current favorite pair of denim shorts is from 8th grade.
So how can I convince the world that despite my quirks and my looks, I truly am 25? How can I assure you all that I will certainly become older and wiser? The honest answer is that I can't. I may become older, but that definitely will not make me wiser. I will continue to indulge in my childish pleasures. I will send out random presents and get excited for Christmas lights. I will giggle like a giddy child as my birthday approaches. And I will ask you eight times to explain your joke before I finally get it.
My naivety is a boon though. Being gullible helps one believe in fairy-tales and happy endings. Don't get me wrong, I am a sucker for a good action movie, but fables impart an essential cheer along with faith. Children never stop believing. That is why Santa is so popular. That is why losing teeth is a great money-making scheme as a child. And that is why they take that fearless leap from the dense branches of an unusually high tree. I will soon be a 25 year old child. And I believe. So I will continue taking my leaps and turns, and jumping from tree to tree. Surely, sometimes I will fall. After which I will just stand up with a smile on my face and skip to the next sandbox.
I won a copy of Peter Pan in the 1st grade during a dance competition. Since then, I have held a special attachment to that story and perhaps that is where the desperation to hold on to childhood comes from. It is the best depiction of friendship and the wonders of childhood. Chicago is my Neverland and I am Peter Pan: the perfect amalgam of mischief, charm and adventure. Now, why would I ever trade that for growing up?
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