The Youth I Left Behind

How did I grow old so young?  

How did I forget to live before I lived at all?

Somewhere between chasing dreams and chasing time, I lost the version of myself that believed in endless summers and late-night laughter. I got so caught up in becoming that I forgot to just be.
Maybe growing up isn’t about age but about the weight we carry—expectations, regrets, the silent ache of time slipping through our fingers. But perhaps, if I listen closely, I can still hear the echoes of the child I once was, reminding me: It’s not too late to start living.