There's a part of me that works just like a child sometimes. Twenty-two is a sort-of awkward age for me; I'm an adult but I'm relatively new to the adult world. Needless to say, I'm enjoying the balance of my inner child and adulthood, or the so-called real world.

The benefits of being young are good. If I wanted to walk into an arcade on my off day, nobody would question me. I can even get away with playing Dance, Dance Revolution if I so desired without too much flak, although most of the gamers are in their early teens. I find that I don't play video games much at all anymore. I'd much rather watch a good movie, because as realistic as some graphics are in video games today, I'd much rather connect with a life-like situation.

Another benefit which has lasted throughout the present, although I'm not sure for how long, is high metabolism. I can still eat junk sparingly, with oatmeal cookies being my fifth food group, and not worry too much about packing on the pounds. I make a conscientious effort to exercise on occasion, whenever I have time outside of my life at work. I've never considered myself a jock, and I don't plan to start now. Still, it's nice to run and not worry about injuries such as back pains and shin splints. My mom tells me to just wait a couple of years, and I'll finally understand the concept of growing pains.

Don't get me wrong. There are drawbacks to being in an adult world at my age. Just the other day, a guy who I had never seen before walked by me and said, "Excuse me, son." I looked at him and chagrined. I had an inclination to say, "You're not my father, now, are you?" But I decided to be nice, since I knew he meant well. I've also received complaints about some of my previous columns, in regards of me being a young man. Well, it's true I am young, but I still have an opinion. My opinion shouldn't be judged on my age as being either wrong or right. It's just that - an opinion. Voting should be held in the same regards, in my opinion, of course. When I registered to vote towards the end of August, I was basically told by a certain individual, who knew how I was going to vote September 9, that my vote was unwanted. It was hard not to take offense to such a statement, but I'm new to the town and don't like to start off holding grudges, so I didn't. Respect and integrity comes from years of experience and the actions I choose. I'm sitting on my fourth month out of college, so I have a long way to go.

Most of the people I relate to the most, I find, are older than me. What that denotes, I don't know for certain. What I do know, however, is I like to surround myself with conversation and debates about topics which affect our lives. I like to be challenged more as I grow older. I like to view an issue from all sides and, in the words of Walt Whitman, "filter them for myself" (Leaves of Grass).

I like to have fun, and right now, I'm doing just that. Happiness is something we may pursue all our lives, but never find. I believe I've found it, and I plan to hold onto it as long as possible, even into middle and old age.