Today, I am a boiling frog. For one thing, it's really hot outside. And the houses where I spend most of my time in Ohio (Grandma's and my cousins down the road) do not have air conditioning. I'm very thankful for a pond to jump into so I can cool down. I figure it's good practice for Nicaragua, at least.
The other reason I am a boiling frog is...well, I'm old all of a sudden! Today I am 22, and when I think about my life, it surprises me. I still feel like a little kid, inexperienced and helpless. However, the world no longer treats me like a little kid. Legally, I'm well into adulthood. I will graduate from college in less than a year and need to make adult decisions about what the next step should be. My parents have stopped giving me curfews. I am involved in family decisions - even if I wish I could just be the little girl who gets shoo-ed out of the room during serious conversations.
When my younger cousins ask me how it feels, I tell them: the same but old.
Somehow, slowly but surely, I've grown up. I live my life every day so I don't realize the changes - much like a frog adjusting to the heat. Thankfully, the business of getting old is not life-threatening. At least, let's hope not at this point. :)
