When I was a kid, the adults in my life used to tell me your priorities change as you get older.
I didn’t understand. Why? Who changes them? Do other people pressure you into giving up the things that matter to you? Do you just wake up one day and stop caring about the things you valued yesterday?
When I got older, I started to understand — people are dynamic. They change. Not overnight, but slowly. One day you decide to care a little more about something. The day after that, you care a little more still. Without knowing it’s happening, you start to prioritize someone or something more than you used to do for someone or something else.
Nobody is pressuring you to do this; you do it yourself because it’s important to you. After enough time passes, you see for yourself that your priorities have changed. You’re not the person you used to be. You’re different now.
Sometimes you like who you’ve become, but other people in your life don’t. They wish you were the same; you hope to never go back. It can be a hurtful place to be.
Sometimes you don’t like who you become. The nice thing is that you can focus on new priorities to change yourself into somebody you do like.
While your priorities slowly change, other people’s priorities change too. Sometimes you prioritize the same things at the same time. Sometimes you prioritize different things and lose the ones you had in common.
Most things in life have a shelf life: Jobs, hobbies, friendships. Some are like bananas and go bad so fast you don’t remember them. Others are like canned soup and good for a long time.
It’s important to respect your expiration dates. Appreciate things for what they were and don’t push your luck. If you do, don’t be surprised when they spoil.