Being An Adult

I have always thought that grandparents were the icons of wisdom, the "go to" person with he answers, the epitome of patience.

When I was young, I often thought, "When I grow up, I want to be like Grandpa". I looked forward with anxious anticipation to the time when I would have all the answers and all the sage advice.

All of our parents are gone, now, and I have discovered, as I suppose they discovered, that all I have really done is gotten older.

I have learned that being a wise parent and grandparent is not so much what I know, but what I do. And the greatest truth I have learned is that one does not need to grow old to grow wise. The reality is that everyone grows older. What matters is what we keep and/or lose in the process.

We need to keep a sense of humor, but lose the mindless silliness of adolescence. We need to somehow keep our internal youthfulness but lose the irresponsibleness of adolescence. We need to retain our integrity while acknowledging the reality of shades of truth. We must struggle to maintain our health without the obsession of the fitness of youth. We need to encourage sympathy and empathy, while shunning the devastation of "attitude". We learn to put aside the "me first" approach in favor of a sincere desire to share beyond ourselves and out families.

Being an adult simply means that we now know what we should be doing and we move ahead without supervision and do it, even when we really may not feel much like doing it at the time. And so it is and should be in all aspects and areas of our life.

Bob Curtis has been writing articles, short fiction, and poetry for over 30 years. He has been a lay consultant for families and individuals for a number of years. He is currently the managing director of people4people.blogspot.com and is the president of Nexus Publishing, nexus4u.blogspot.com, in Midvale, Utah.

---

The Priceless Gift of a Knee-High Smile

She was just over knee-high standing next to me in... Read More

Escape into Reality and Find Love

The early months of this year brought major challenges, as... Read More

Are You Taking Responsibility?

It is time to take responsibility for our actions and... Read More

Take Action and Make a Better World

Albert Einstein is quoted as having said, "the world is... Read More

Lessons Learned Hard

Many of us seek consolation in the words of Frank... Read More

Happy Ending

I'm writing to you with a completely shattered heart. I've... Read More

Even the Smallest Sound

You are probably in front of your computer screen at... Read More

Life is Art

In my years teaching people to be successful, I have... Read More

Control Your Own Destiny

"You cannot control what happens to you, but you can... Read More

Imprisoned In Liberty?

Robert was so strong that I once saw him pick... Read More

Body Acceptance: The Secret to Weight Loss Success

Can we love our bodies? As the years go by,... Read More

Tim McGraw had it Right - Live Like You Are Dying!

Chorus: An' he said: "I went ski diving, I went... Read More

Improvisational

Why are we trying so hard? It is like we... Read More

An Unquenched Thirst

Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 9,... Read More

Pride Goeth

Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 25,... Read More

Everyone Has Been Hurt...Part 3

Continued....When I turned 18 years old, I met a new... Read More

Spring Quotations - Top 30 Quotations About Spring Time

"Is it so small a thing To have enjoy'd the... Read More

Have You Ever Felt GOD in You?

God is the primordial Creative Force that is believed to... Read More

Flashh! I Thought I Saw A Puddy Cat!

Have you ever had one of those flashes of inspiration?... Read More

Wherever You Are, Be There

One of the major reasons why we fail to find... Read More

Are You Really Living Your Life Today!

Yesterday I was but a child, looking. Looking ahead at... Read More

Hitler and the Tsunami

In Catholic school the nuns used to tell us that... Read More

A Bad Move

Direct Answers - Column for the week of April 7,... Read More

Stop Trying to be Perfect

In the moment of completing a thought or action, it... Read More

Anam Chara - Living A Life Of Value

Much of our lives we spend comparing what "me" has... Read More