The Life He Once Couldn't Wait For

At 20, Olumide had started to understand something he never thought he would.

Sometimes, the life you spend years trying to escape is the same life you will one day wish you could return to.

It happened on an ordinary evening.

Olumide had just finished watching a movie about a girl who desperately wanted to grow up. She made wishes, got older, and eventually discovered that adulthood wasn't as beautiful as she had imagined.

By the end of the movie, she wanted nothing more than to go back.

Olumide sat quietly after the movie ended.

For some reason, it hit him differently.

He started thinking about himself.

When he was younger, he couldn't wait to grow up.

He thought adulthood meant freedom.

He thought having your own phone, buying nice clothes and bags, looking good, having a relationship, making your own decisions and living life on your own terms would automatically make everything better.

He remembered how badly he wanted those things.

He remembered looking at older people and thinking, "I can't wait to be like them."

Back then, he thought being young meant missing out.

Now, at 20, he finally understood that he had been looking at adulthood from the outside.

He had seen the freedom.

He hadn't seen the responsibility.

He had seen the relationships.

He hadn't seen the heartbreak.

He had seen people looking beautiful and successful.

He hadn't seen the private battles behind their smiles.

He had wanted independence.

He hadn't understood how exhausting it could be to have nobody else to blame when life became difficult.

And then he realized something even deeper.

The things he once prayed to have weren't necessarily bad.

He had simply believed they would make him happy forever.

But eventually, you get the phone.

You buy the things you once admired.

You experience the relationship you once dreamed about.

You become the age you were always rushing toward.

And then you realize...

You still have problems.

Because growing older doesn't automatically make life better.

It simply gives you different problems to solve.

Olumide thought about his younger self again.

That boy had wanted to grow up so badly.

And yet, that younger version of him had something Olumide desperately wanted now:

A life with fewer worries.

A life where happiness could come from something as simple as playing outside, watching a movie, eating your favourite food, laughing with friends, or coming home knowing someone was waiting for you.

He wished he had appreciated those moments more.

He wished he had taken more pictures.

Stayed outside a little longer.

Laughed without thinking about tomorrow.

Spent more time with the people he loved.

Instead, he was always looking forward to the next thing.

"I can't wait to grow up."

And now he was grown.

But he couldn't go back.

That night, Olumide realized that maybe the problem wasn't that people wanted to grow.

The problem was that they were always rushing through life.

We spend our teenage years saying we can't wait to leave school.

Then we spend our twenties wishing we had enjoyed our younger years more.

We can't wait to get a job.

Then we miss the freedom we had before responsibilities became overwhelming.

We can't wait to fall in love.

Then we discover that love also comes with vulnerability, disagreements and heartbreak.

We can't wait to become independent.

Then we realize how comforting it was when someone else carried some of our burdens.

Life keeps moving.

And if you're always waiting for the next chapter, you might miss the one you're currently living.

Olumide didn't suddenly hate being 20.

He simply stopped wishing his life away.

He started paying attention.

To the conversations.

To the laughter.

To ordinary afternoons.

To the people around him.

To moments that didn't seem important at the time but might become memories someday.

Because maybe life isn't about reaching the next stage as quickly as possible.

Maybe life is about being present enough to appreciate each stage before it becomes a memory.

At 20, Olumide finally understood what his younger self couldn't.

You don't have to stop dreaming about the future.

Just don't become so obsessed with getting there that you forget to live today.

Stop saying, "I can't wait."

You can wait.

Take your time.

Grow at your own pace.

Enjoy the people around you.

Enjoy where you are.

Because one day, you may look back and realize that the life you were so desperate to leave behind...

was actually one of the most beautiful chapters of your life.