What it’s like turning 21

Anthony Reyes, Associate Sports Editor

Have you ever waited for something for a long time only to be completely let down once it finally arrived? That’s how I feel about turning 21.

 

I couldn’t wait until I turned 21. I think I started a countdown about three years in advance when I turned 18. It was going to be awesome. I would finally be able to do anything and everything. No one, absolutely no one, could stop me from doing what I wanted to do.
April 9, 2014 came and my dreams finally came true; I was finally legal and considered an adult in every aspect.

 

I bought my first case of alcoholic beverages, and you bet when the cashier behind the counter asked for ID I shoved it right in his face because, yes, I was 21.

 

When I walked up to a bar, the bouncer asked for ID, I didn’t shove it in his face because he seemed like he could easily subdue me, but I did show it to him and when he gave the OK to head inside, I strolled in there with swagger and a smile.

 

As time went on, the fact that I was finally 21 lost its luster, and the summer of 2014 was when I realized that the age of 21 wasn’t all it’s worked up to be.

 

My car repeatedly had problems, and since I was an adult, I was the one responsible to dish out the hundreds of dollars to repair it. My car insurance and cell phone bill needed to be paid and since I was an adult, I was the one responsible for paying them.
I’ll be graduating in December, student loans will need to be paid back and a full-time job will need to be found; I am now an adult, therefore those are my responsibilities. Thankfully, I have a good relationship with my parents and they allow me to live at home, because I couldn’t imagine having to pay for rent, utilities and groceries on top of dealing with all the financial issues I already do.

 

With age comes responsibility and with responsibility comes consequences. When you become an adult, everything seems awesome, but you quickly realize that it’s not what you really wanted.

 

When I was young, I used to try to hold my eyelids open so that I could stay up past my bedtime. Now, I want to go to bed as early as I can. When I was young, I thought chores were bad. Now, going to work part-time and school full-time makes me wish all I had to do were chores. When I was young, my biggest concern was either “what’s for dinner?” and “when does the fun start?” I’ll admit, those are still two of my main concerns, but add on about 20 others as well.

 

We spend our adolescent lives wishing that we were adults, and then we spend our adult lives wishing we’re adolescents again. I know I’m not the only one who has done this. Sure, being 21 is really cool, but there are also some very uncool aspects of being 21. I’ve realized there are uncool things about being any age.

 

You only get one life to live, and if you’re trying to rush through it to get to something, you’ll never enjoy life in the moment you’re living. It’s time we slow down, stop rushing things, and just enjoy the fact that we’re alive and breathing.

 

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@A_Reyes26