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I watch the clock tick. 10:27…10:28… Every second drags longer than the last. My heart races — not from fear but anticipation.

10:30 is when it begins. It was time for a ruthless game of manhunt.

Manhunt ( also known as T.A.G. or Fugitive) is a game often played by young children. The objective: avoid being tagged by those who are "it" and for those who are "it", tag those who have not been tagged. Manhunt was an exhilarating game because this would be the only time the boys and the girls would tolerate each other's existence.

We were one, and we were united through the rush of adrenaline.

So, why am I bringing up this story? Because I took it all for granted. Manhunt became a routine, and when routines are established, you rarely notice how much they mean to you until they're gone.

I am 19 years old now, and life feels … fast. The seconds that once dragged on forever vanish in a blink. I can't help but ask — why were we in such a rush to grow up?

  • Was it because we thought life would be more exciting?
  • More adventurous?
  • Because we believed adulthood meant freedom, not responsibility?
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Life is always shifting, and one thing I struggle with is change.

Like Lana Del Rey said, "Change is a powerful thing." It's the one thing in life that is inevitable, aside from death. You can love it, but you can also hate it. I'm indifferent to it.

Change is important. I wouldn't want to stay the same forever. I appreciate the girl I was when I was 13, but now, I hardly recognize her.

She was full of light and laughter, but also buried in pain.

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Sometimes, we look at the past with rose-coloured glasses. I am not invalidating my childhood — I truly enjoyed those years. Behind every game and every giggle were the thoughts I kept to myself:

  • My appearance
  • My reputation
  • My academics

I was never going to be enough for the boy I liked. I was never going to be enough for the expectations of others. I was never going to be enough.

Maybe I loved manhunt because it was the one time I could just be. No mirrors, no labels. We are all on the same playing field.

And maybe that's the point. Maybe it's enough to just be where we are. Because:

Every time that we run, we don't know what it's from Now we finally slow down, we feel close to it There's a change gonna come, I don't know where or when But whenever it does, we'll be here for it.

— Lana Del Rey, Change (2017)

Now 2025. Someday, I will miss the chaos that is my life right now. The rushed mornings, late-night studying, and how my friends and I can just yap for hours. In the present, it may not feel special. But deep down, I know… it will hurt to remember someday.

So, Gen Alpha and Gen Beta, if there is one thing you can learn from this, don't grow up too fast. You don't need Summer Friday Lip Butters and Drunk Elephant Moisturizers yet. There's a whole lifetime waiting for that. For now, cherish what's tangible — your youth.

Don't run from it just yet.