Waking up this morning, pulling the covers over my head as we all did as a child. As the lights were turned on. Blinded through the cloth, the light twinkled through the threads. Reminded by reality – we’re adults.

Growing up means a lot of things you were taught as a child are either maybe not as true as you expected or easier than you thought. I have learned to “take things with a grain of salt.” Fair warning, I read “Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger and I enjoyed it.

If you’re unaware of the classic novel, it was a must-read in high school and basically called adults phony. Tough crowd. It has themes of angst, alienation and critiques of superficiality in society. As a young woman in my 20s, I still enjoy the book and its meaning.

It may seem a little harsh, but when growing up everything seems phony until you perceive it from a new angle.

Published in 1951, the book shows crude language and visual stories. The main character, Holden’s, feelings were so relatable when I read the book. Perhaps if I re-read it now I would be offended.

Holden questions the adult world and everyone in it. No spoilers, but the message throughout the book till the very end is how precious innocence is and how it should be protected.

It’s a bold statement, but it’s a pretty good book. The reason for bringing up the book is that I believe advice, experience and situations should be taken with a grain of salt.

Well, not everything, but most things. Question them and question them again. Do not take no for an answer. Dig deeper and then farther. Give 110 percent and more. Crave more and never be satisfied.

Being wary of advice given to you could be a smart choice. Everyone’s perspective is different and maybe someone is trying to give advice they know nothing about. Whichever the case, hold your breath. On the occasion of good advice, hooray!

Advice is my specialty, as an older sister and an aspiring life coach.

There are several things I was told as a young girl that I perhaps thought would be a lot more important than it actually was. One main thing was the talk of ‘adulting.’ Everyone makes growing up seem like a scary task, something to be afraid of because of the responsibility.

Guess what? It hasn’t been too bad. Maybe the poop hasn’t hit the fan (yet) but everything is starting OK.

Another thing was credit cards – “Credit cards can be a nightmare,” you may have heard. If used correctly, they are great.

The pressure of growing up is so heavy. It weighs a billion pounds.

Figuring out the secret code to life is something we as humans try to figure out by turning over rocks, diving deeper into the sea and sending more space shuttles into the abyss of space.

I found my key. As anxieties creep through among intrusive thoughts, I remind myself daily to not take life too seriously and to choose not to make others’ problems my problems. Finding out these two things makes me quite content.

No matter what you were told as a young person, you can unlearn habits with discipline. You can be who you want. You can grow up, be an adult but still hold on to your dreams, ambitions and stories that make your inner child thrive. Take this with a grain of salt, but it’s not all bad and you can still be the adult your kid self wanted you to be.