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Phrase: Come of age
Everyone has a coming-of-age story about how they grew up and became the person they are today.
Even though I’m fifty-two, I still don’t always feel like a real adult, but that’s another story.
Coming of age means becoming an adult or maturing, usually after learning important life lessons.
People grow up in their own ways and at their own pace.
For me, that happened in the 1990s, and my journey was filled with adventure and learning, to say the least.
My coming-of-age story began when I was 21, with a train ride across Canada.
I took Via Rail from Halifax, Nova Scotia, all the way to Vancouver, British Columbia, watching the country’s wide landscapes go by.
As I crossed the prairies and mountains, I began to learn how to be independent and take care of myself.
After that, I spent years living in Australia, working hard while doing everything that young men do.
I know there is a big blank there, but if you put your coming-of-age story in a nutshell, you have to leave a lot unsaid.
Moving to a new country helped me come of age in a new way.
I had to adjust to a different culture and rely on my own resources.
Each day helped me come of age by making me more confident in myself and giving me a better understanding of my place in the world.
Eventually, I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, and went to university.
A lot of people see studying and getting a degree as a big part of growing up, but I don’t.
For me, university felt like a second job.
I worked 48 hours a week and studied on my days off.
To come of age is more than just growing older; it’s about becoming wiser and stronger with each new experience.
Looking back, everything I’ve done has helped shape who I am, but honestly, I’m still growing, and I don’t think I’ve fully come of age yet, but I am having the time of my life.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 75.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.
