“All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, ‘Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever!’ This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.”
-J.M. Barrie

Today was my best friend's 18th birthday, and this weekend we threw a party to celebrate. Though a lot of us are either 18 already or just about to turn it, though we are getting ready for college in a few months, we don't seem to act like it. Saturday night I had an epiphany. As my group of close friends and I were having good, sober fun- eating sugar and playing Just Dance- I realised that we would never be able to be this carefree ever again. In an instant moment, I realised that our childhood was ending forever and that soon we would be adults in the real world.

Personally, I never believed that I'd ever make it this far in my life. When I was little, 18 seemed so far away, and college seemed like something that was only in fairy-tales or movies. Entering our senior year, I realised that I was so wrong. Not only had we made it to our senior year of high school, but we would be 18- legal adults, we would be graduating, and starting college, and moving out of our houses and away from our families, some of us even starting our own, and all of these events were right around the corner. I spent a lot of time thinking about the future when I was little, but somehow it still sneaked up on me.

I will be the first person to admit that I'm scared for what the future will hold. I know that we have to grow up, but I'm not quite sure that I want to. I want the rest of my life to be like Saturday night. I wish that we could spend the whole day and night laughing away without worry or care, I wish that we could act like children and not have people judge us for that. I know that we can't.

We all have to get older, and that is not optional. But who ever actually said that we had to really grow up?

As my friends and I move on with the rest of the year, as we move on with our lives, I hope that we all maintain a sense of wonder and continue our laughter; if we have to face the world which is full of toil and strife without hope in our hearts and a reason to smile, then what would the point of life be at all? I know that I wouldn't want to live like that.

As a child I loved Peter Pan. I now realise that Neverland isn't a place, it is a state of mind. As you grow old, keep Neverland in your thoughts and in your heart, and you will never have to grow up. You will still go through life with responsibilities of work, family, and becoming successful, but you will be much happier. Don't allow yourself to lose your youth. I believe that when you are young, you are your true self. Be yourself, stay young, smile, and have fun. Otherwise, nothing is worth the effort.