Will that be all for you, MA'AM?

Hey there my java beans!

You know what really got on my nerves not too long ago? The fact that a lot of people think I'm older than I actually am.

So I am 18 now, so technically that makes me an adult, right? I do not have a problem with this. I do not have a problem with people looking at me or treating me as a young adult. I also do not have a problem with people having far higher expectations of me. All this comes naturally as you get older! Duh.

For some reason people have been thinking I am in my 20's. A lot of fishy college students are envious of this because they want to look like they are at least 21 when they make fake ID's so that they can get into all the bars and clubs. I have never done that and I will not do that, thank you very much.

A lot of people I know would ask me why I thought that that was such a bad thing. Really it wasn't, and honestly, I'm not totally sure why it bugged me so much. What set me off wasn't necessarily because grocery store clerks who are older than me always call me ma'am everytime I shop there. That would be a lame reason, anyway. It wasn't really because of the time when this one person working at the mall thought I was 23. It wasn't really when this weird guy on campus was hitting on me because he thought I was 22... No, it wasn't really any of that. It could because of this one time my dad and I went on a retreat and the young lady working their thought that we were married. OK, my dad is in his forties, and I, at the time, was 17...

I started to question myself over the matter: Is this because of my height (I am very tall)? Is it because of how much makeup I wear? Is it because I don't dress like an 18-year-old? Does this mean that I shouldn't be hanging out with high schoolers???? These stupid questions just made me feel more unconfortable. I tried not to let it really get to me, and I kept telling myself it really wasn't anything to sneeze at, I mean, it wasn't like people thought I was 35 or anything (although that situation with my dad made me question that too). But then I remembered another incident of someone thinking I was in my twenties that made me feel much better.

One of my coworkers when I first started my job asked me how old I was, and I told her I was 18 and fresh out of high school. She said, "Oh! I thought you were in your twenties because you just seem so mature and sophisticated." Then I thought, Wow! Mature? Sophisticated? ME???  

I finally drew the conclusion that me worrying about what people thought of my age is one way of being too caught up in what others think about me. So what if it is my height?? That can't be helped. Besides, I love being tall. What if it is how much makeup I wear or the way I dress? I am just expressing myself and being who I am. And who cares how old your friends are? *CLICHE ALERT* Age is only a number.

The more and more I thought about the questions I would ask myself, the more ridiculous and immature they seemed. I mean, it really doesn't matter at all. God made me this way. Even if people were to constantly tease me or make fun of me for the way I look,  I am who I am and that's who I am. I am a woman of God, I'm not a high schooler anymore. I told myself:

All that was a good mini lesson I needed to learn. I am an adult now, I need to not just act like one, but think like one too. For me, this means advancing in my relationship with God into levels I probably never would've reached when I was a bit younger. It also helped me to remember what was really important and to not take things to heart too easily those silly things that people say. So you!!!! DON'T LET WHAT PEOPLE SAY MAKE YOU FEEL UNCONFORTABLE ABOUT YOURSELF!

See you dudes and dudettes l8er.