The Truth

I heard once when I was a child that a person's hair changes every 7 years. Maybe I heard it from my mother, who has owned and operated a hair salon for nearly 22 years. Either way, what she meant by it was the hair, whether it was pin-point straight and dark, may eventually become lighter and curly by the time that child is 14. Later, I found out that this applies to the entire human body. Teeth, skin, metabolism, mental state-- whether its a minor unnoticed change or a drastic taste of reality by all of a sudden gaining 25 lbs. And some men, but most women go through a state of shock. What? I used to be able to eat three big macs, chug a beer bong and top it off with a entire pint of Ben and Jerry's, and know I eat a carrot and my ass jiggles for a week?!?!?!

It's true. If you're a woman then you understand exactly what I mean, and if you don't? Trust me you eventually will. It's like finding out that Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy are not real. It pains me to wake up and see a sun mark on my cheek or realize my hair takes twice as long to grow as it did when I was younger. And obviously I notice it when I run 4 miles a day and lose one freaking pound a week, compared to my running half that amount and some how burning excess body fat in minutes. Ok, ok my metabolism was never that fast-- but it sucks lately.

Anyway, hypothetically speaking- do we as emotional beings also change mentally every seven years? Do our wants change, our attitudes change? Is it something that we could possibly confuse with wisdom and experience or is there a possible chemical change in our brains that in turn change who we are as people?

I juggle with this idea on and off and spend my days wondering where I lost my childhood-self and became an adult. Does that change require us to tuck away our childhood dreams into a mental drawer that only gets opened in 'case of emergency'? For example, we become 'practical' especially in this economy and start interviewing for any job possible. All of a sudden the ease we once had in our younger years becomes non-existent and getting what we want is so much more difficult. And what happens when once we look disappointment in the face? Do you, like many, open that 'in case of emergency' drawer? Out of nowhere we are back at square one, wishing?

And why do we as a society 'wish' so often? We are raised (if your religion supports) with birthday cakes and candles and shooting stars and turkey bones that all of a sudden give us the slightest glimpse of opportunity and chance? Next thing you know, you're spending your days wondering why it didn't come true and what you did wrong.

From now on I am making a goal instead of a wish. Wishes are, quite frankly, a mental piece of chocolate that give us this fairy tale thought that anything is possible. I hate to sound pessimistic but life is just not that way. There's so much beauty in life, why should we make these intangible thoughts when we could place them into a goals category and reach them without the help of fate.

Being a recent college graduate with a 3.8 I find it hard to understand why I have spent my sleepless nights wishing that my golden opportunity would come along. Why would I spend so much time wishing instead of working towards it? I blame society.

Well I turn over a new leaf today. So from now on, plan, make goals. Forget about wishing.