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Section 3
Becoming as a Young Adult

Bittersweet

In the cool grey dawn of early September,I place the final suitcase into my Mustangand silently say “good-bye”to the quiet green beauty of North Carolina.Hesitantly, I head forthe blue ocean-lined coast of Connecticutbound for a new position and the unknown.Traveling with me are a Sheltie named Eliand the still fresh memories of yesterday.…Moving in life is bittersweetlike giving up friends and fears.The taste is like smooth, orange, fall persimmons,deceptively delicious but tart.

© 1982, Samuel T. Gladding

Young adulthood is a time of establishing an identity. It is a time of finding what you want to do as an adult. Sometimes the choices are obvious, such as choosing a musical career if your talents lie in music. At other times, deciding what to do as an adult is much harder, and young adults agonize about choices and what to do next. In such cases they may take a gap year, join the military, seek out an apprenticeship, or simply drift. Choosing something permanent to do with one’s life is not easy, for once an individual starts a journey into the future, it is hard to change it, and the impact on personal well-being grows exponentially with each year that passes.

The vignettes in this section are about decisions, such as going to college, being involved in activities, accepting decisions, making amends, and starting something new. The choices of young adulthood are about coming of age and maturing.

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