My room is messy.

Messy is an understatement, to be honest. Trashed is a better word. However, the point is I cannot maintain a tidy room for the life of me.

Why does this have any relevance? I merely can’t keep my room clean– it just means I don’t prioritize organization and cleanliness.

Wrong.

It’s true– I don’t prioritize keeping my room clean, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy having a tidy room. The only reason I am forced to neglect the pile of un-hung clothes and mismatched socks is that I prioritize nearly everything else in my life.

My homework. Exercise. My friends. My dogs. Crew. Work.

I have a tendency to over-exert myself, but I’ve noticed as I’ve progressed through high school that I’ve neglected the things that, as a kid, seemed like the most important things the world would ever bestow upon me.

There are few nights where I sit down with my family and eat dinner; I’m either gone, too busy, or somebody else in the family is missing in action. Yet looking back, I cherished the times where my sister and I would recount our days to our parents.

Even spending time with my sister at this point has become less of a natural occurrence but more of a lucky occasion when I’m needed for a ride. She has her schedule, and I have mine.

Examining my current priorities has made me realize how I truly am growing up. This doesn’t mean I don’t long for family dinners or beg for childhood naivety to return but instead proves how my priorities have shifted. I am becoming independent and learning what is important to me.

What used to be a dependent, unsure, and insecure young girl is slowly being molded into an independent, slightly more sure, and less insecure young woman.

My priorities are changing, and so am I.

And keeping my room clean isn’t one of them.