What does it really mean to become an adult?
To be honest, at 30, I still don’t feel like one.
But reality is brutal.
Every year, those official government letters remind you of your civic duties.
Every month, student loan repayments remind you that school is long behind you.
The alarm clock every morning reminds you that you can’t just stay in bed and give up.
Deadlines chase you by the hour, and emotional pressure builds until it feels like you could collapse at any moment.
And that’s not even counting the responsibilities of caring for parents or raising children.
No wonder “being an adult” feels terrifying.
But…
Even when life feels overwhelmingly hard, it also makes moments of happiness feel more precious.
A simple meal with friends, chatting and laughing about nothing and everything.
Curling up alone to rest properly and finally catch your breath.
These small, ordinary moments hold us together.
They remind us that there’s still hope ahead—that even in difficult times, there’s always something that can make us smile.
Life is full of both sorrow and joy.
Tears come from pain, but also from laughter.
No matter how smooth or rough life is, I hope we can stay present and fully experience it—
and learn to cherish every tear life gives us.
Ko Ching,
December 2025
