Madi Martelino ’29
When you’re a teenager, you start to realize you’re at this place where you’re not a kid anymore, but not an adult. You’re at a bridge you can only cross over once. Every heavy step you take is moving farther away from the bright nostalgia of your carefree childhood, and closer to the busy world of endless expectations as an adult.
While you walk, you start to grow up, moving on from the cars and dolls you once thought were the only source of joy in your life. The toys you grew up with will watch you grow without them. Your twentieth birthday is now closer than your tenth birthday was. And everything seems to be gone in a blink.
You realize too late that the days of your childhood were numbered, and now you find yourself wishing you had more time. Wanting to capture the magic of a happy life before it all slips through your fingers.
You look behind you from your place on the bridge. You didn’t know that some things were not going to last forever. Your parents wouldn’t help you pick out your outfits anymore, and the trips to the park became less and less frequent. You became more independent and self-conscious.
In your teenage years, those trips to the park are called “side-quests” and playdates evolved into “hangouts” You moved on from the pretending and woke up to reality. The kid you used to be is starting to grow up and preparing for the extraordinary things you’ll do.
While you’re still a teenager, enjoy yourself. You’re not a kid anymore, but you’re not an adult. You are crossing this bridge, one step at a time.