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Constantin Brancusi once said that we have to be children all our lives. My philosophy teacher had a different way of wording it: "Never stop growing!"

I just turned another year older today, for which I'm thankful to God and the people who've made life so enjoyable this past year. Yesterday, though, I was feeling somewhat less pleasant.

The first thought that came to mind when I woke up yesterday was, "Frack, I'm gonna be older tomorrow." I quite dreaded growing up. It seemed to me that people lost something special, something important, once they reached adulthood. For me, people who were totally "grown up" weren't as much fun to be with as younger people.

I knew a select few people who, even though they were fully-developed adults, still kept a keen sense of humor and optimism, and had grand dreams for the future. One of them was my teacher. Since he was within easy reach (he was online on Yahoo Messenger), I decided to prod him a little on the matter.

I voiced my uneasiness at the prospect of getting older, then sighed. "I guess you haven't grown up," I said.

"I have grown up," he replied. "The problem is, I never stop!"

... What the heck? Clarification, please. I asked him what on earth he meant.

He said, "I only stopped growing physically." And he left it at that.

After puzzling over it for a short while, I figured it out, and the result put a warm smile on my face. He was a grown-up, and yet, still growing, still learning, still taking in all the sights and sounds and experiences the world had to offer. Growing up-- reaching maturity-- was nothing to be feared, as long as one kept in mind that the growing shouldn't simply stop there. Leave behind the foolishness of youth and its temper tantrums, irrational sulky moods and self-centeredness. Learn the things you need to learn; develop your skills; get to know people and how to get along with them. Never think, even for one second, that you're "all grown up". Tell yourself that there's still so much growing to do, so many things to dream of and so many plans to make.

I thought about my grandfather, who'd lived many long years, but was still active in his hobbies, enjoyed bringing cheer to his family, and kept a sprightly twinkle in his eye. He was legally classified as a senior citizen, but I wouldn't have dared to refer to him as an "old" man. So the lesson here was: Don't be afraid to grow up. Just don't stop growing, or else you'll grow old.

Today, I celebrate my growing up-- and look forward to all the growing that I have yet to do. As they say, the important thing in life isn't the destination; it's the journey.