Real Life

The "real world"

I've barely experienced it. I've caught glimpses of it through my parents and older siblings. But I've never been fully submerged in the real world.

The real world is not kindergarten. Real life is not elementary school. Real life is DEFINITELY not middle school. Real life is not high school.

Real life is not the sports you play and the games you win.

The real world is not even college.

Real life hits when you are not in classrooms with teacher telling you what to do. The real world does not judge you on your writing capabilities. Real life hits when you become the parent instead of the child. Being in the real world means life's problems are life/death and not pass/fail.

The real world means you are not protected by some magical force of love from your parents like in Harry Potter. Real life means you are on your own, fighting every day for something better, something bigger. Being in the real world means you have to grow up or be left behind in an ever-changing ever-degrading world.

From the slivers of the "real world" that I have seen, I don't look forward to it with excitement...I would like to stay in the fake life that I have lived in for 19 years, 3 months, and 11 days.

But no one can stop the real world from becoming theirs. It will take everyone for its own. All you can do is try to be prepared for it when it decides your number has been called.