A Bundle Of Contradictions

I'm dividing this letter into different parts, so that neither of us would get muddled up. 
About Your Physical Appearance: 
I know what you're going through.

You are terribly upset about the fact that you're not as tall as kids your age. Your friends are taller than you, your cousins - who are close to your age! - are taller and healthier than you. You feel really diminutive in front of everyone. You get really sad when people exclaim, "You are in eighth grade! I thought you were about nine years old!" 
Especially that lady living nearby your house, who's about as tall as a ten-year-old kid and as round as a football. 
It's completely fine. I assure you, you're going to grow as as tall as Mom. And all those people are going to be shorter than you! They'll be the ones who'll marvel at your height. 
You are really scared about "growing up". You're scared that you won't be able to play with the kids downstairs anymore. You feel…

A few words before I begin with the main subject:
I'm not here to preach about how one must live his or her life. People, I'm just as confused as you are. I just wanted to tell you about how I (try to) define 'life'. 
I hope you guys would love to share your inputs with me. 
***
What do I make of the word life? 
I think it's a very complicated mess.  
I think I can (somewhat) try to explain it by connecting it with a road map. 
(Well, everyone does say that life is a long road trip) 
When you're born, it's really simple. You're walking down a straight lane, a metaled road. There are no bumps and you know what you're heading for. 
Slowly, as you reach your teens, little bumps start forming on that supposedly metaled road. By the time you are sixteen or eighteen, the seemingly straight road is divided into a variety of other roads. You need some time to think what's the best suitable path for you. 
After choosing that path, you're walking. In…