i've been thinking recently about what it means to grow up. i'm been thinking about the little things. when things that were once natural and comfortable become lost. your mother's soft murmurs in the dark when you can't sleep. pulling tangles from your hair. never understanding the word 'patient'. suspended in a world of what is only nostalgia to us now. your soft skin tender to the touch, free of scars and flaws for the time being, only temporary bruises that change colour drastically overnight, astounding you every day. every day is nothing more than a day, the past has been forgotten, and the future is light years away. you are naive and you are vulnerable and you are as delicate as lace, quietly passing over fingertips, unaware of the possibility that in the future you will become aware and you will become rough and you will become exhausted and you will become broken. but please, do not look at this as a destination you want to avoid. through all of the bellyaches and heavy moments, you will become strong. you will look at the boundless sky and at the burning stars and you will know how it feels to be alive. you will learn patience, maybe, and you will plunge deep into an illuminated atmosphere, lit by beautiful people that you will surround yourself with. never let them go. moments are fleeting, and you are growing up, and you will become complex and unfamiliar, but wherever you go, leave a mark. i have always tried to leave a piece of myself wherever i go and i only hope you do the same. you are growing up but i hope your inner child remains.