Maturity

Every year is getting shorter. Hairs get grayer, backs get stiffer, bones get brittle. People get older. As they get older, they are expected to be more mature.

This seems like too difficult a task to ask of anyone, really. The reason being that not everyone's brains and minds are exactly the same, or even similar. Different sorts of experiences and backgrounds play a significant role in shaping how and when a person will mature.

Unfortunately, those who grasp that they must be mature, misunderstand what it means. They equate maturity with being boring, dull, and lacking life and joy and "spice."

Is that really how bad things have gotten? That growing up and maturing is equated with being boring? What about fruits and vegetables? They don't get boring, they get ripe (at which point, they're mature and ready for consumption). The same way humans get mature and are ready for the finer subtleties life has to offer. Or the hazards and pitfalls like money and responsibility: starting and having a family, maintaing said family, etc.

But these things do not mean one must become boring. One can still be an effective parent and have a sense of humor the same way one can fit into the trope of being a businessman and still eat cotton candy.

Moderation and maturity. Balance. Baturity?

There can be joy when the skies seem gray.