It turns out, the clearest sign of maturity is not having a few more gray hairs or knowing how to drink sugar-free coffee. But just waking up and remembering responsibility. Some people step out onto the balcony, take a deep breath and then turn back to open the laptop. Some mothers have not had time to brush their teeth but have prepared breakfast, urged their children to go to school and then rushed to the office. Some fathers quietly wear worn-out shirts, start their old motorbike, carrying their whole family on their shoulders without anyone seeing them.
No one is born to like living with deadlines. It's just that after one age, everyone understands that if they stop, there will be something behind them that slows down. House money, children's tuition, a project... Or simply a promise to themselves that this year they will live better than last year.
When we were young, we used to think freedom was staying up until three in the morning to watch movies, sleeping until noon and then doing whatever we wanted. Later, we understood that true freedom is when at the end of the month you can still pay bills without worrying. It is possible to take parents to see a doctor without borrowing money. It is enough calmness to refuse a job that is no longer suitable.
Behind that calmness are countless mornings starting with the two words "deadline". This world seems to always praise those who reach the finish line on time, but few people ask them what they have sacrificed to meet that deadline. Some people sacrifice family meals. Some people sacrifice sleep. Some people sacrifice health. And some people sacrifice youth that they realize many years later.
Therefore, growing up is not only knowing how to complete deadlines. But also knowing how to keep a breath for yourself between deadlines. Knowing how to turn off the computer at the right time to have a meal with parents. Knowing how to look up at the sky instead of just looking at the screen. Knowing how to spend a weekend for the person you love without feeling guilty about work.
When this job ends, there will always be a new job. After this deadline, there will be another deadline. But not youth. Not health either. And those who love us will not stand there forever to wait until we "finish the job". Perhaps, the most beautiful definition of adulthood is not just opening your eyes and remembering you still have a deadline. But after all those deadlines, we still maintain a soul that is not exhausted, still have enough time to smile at loved ones and still remember to live for our own life, not just live for the work schedule.
