I think we’ve all been there, as a matter of fact I’ll say that I’m 100% certain that we have all been there. You do know what there I’m talking about, don’t you?

You’re 14 years old, arguing with our parents about not being able to go out on a Saturday night because of that failing math grade and you say scream it: “I CAN’T WAIT TIL I’M 18 SO I CAN MAKE MY OWN RULES AND DO WHAT I WANT!” Mom and Dad laugh, in only the way that they can. Am I right??

Fast forward four years…you’re 18. You move out. You’re in college. You’re stuck with your own cell phone bill, car payment, and rent. That’s just part of it! You’ve still gotta clean your own place, do your own grocery shopping, cook your own meals, and do laundry. PS: You have two due papers tomorrow that you’ve yet to start on. How’s it going there Mr./Ms. Grown Up? Do you still know everything about everything or shall I just go on ahead and cue that mental breakdown you’re already on the verge of having??

We are always so anxious to get to the “finished product” – for the timer to go off and the cookies to be done baking that we forget that the cookie dough is perfectly acceptable to snack on while we wait {unless you have a mother like mine who barely ever let me lick the beaters because “salmonella”}.Too many times we want to skip ahead and rush through so many important steps in our lives that we miss out on what’s truly amazing with the life we are already living!

Don’t try to grow up so fast. Stop fighting with your parents and get that math grade up. Enjoy the lack of bills and major responsibilities. Embrace those awkward long limbs and your clumsiness, you’ll grow out of it in a few years {no, you probably wont, I never did…}. You won’t be able to truly enjoy the beauty of where you’re at now if you’re too busy trying to live in the future.

Stop – and eat the cookie dough, salmonella be damned.