My 22nd birthday is in December, and while that is still pretty far away (but it'll be Christmas before we know it), it hasn’t stopped me from thinking about the changes I will experience once I am no longer 21. Your 21st birthday is a huge deal in that you’ve waited years to finally be able to drink legally, and your 22nd birthday can therefore seem kind of anti-climatic. For me, turning 22 is still very significant, but in other ways, such as:
1. Now I am actually an adult.
Your 18th birthday officially designates you as a legal adult, but in high school and up until about my sophomore and even junior year of college, I still relied on my parents for many things (i.e. money). It really wasn’t until this past summer and the beginning of my senior year that I began to see myself more as an independent adult. Once you start working more, paying for things with only your money, and applying for jobs, the word “adult” starts to actually hold true and carry more meaning.
2. I will actually be “in my twenties” now.
I never felt like I was “in my twenties” at age 20, and even after I turned 21 I still felt like a teenager in some ways. Nearing the 22 mark, though, I’m finally beginning to feel like I truly am “in my twenties.”
3. My mother married at age 22.
I know it was a different time and all that--but still, this fact kind of freaks me out. I feel as if I am just beginning to come into "myself" and I can't imagine getting married to someone else. It's not only that I lack a significant other to even get married to, but planning a wedding at this age? I can barely make adequate plans for the upcoming weekend.
4. I am really looking forward to my “twenties” years.
My mother told me that she wished she had been able to experience more of her young, fun “twenties.” Being married so young, she was never able to live on her own for a bit, have her own apartment, buy her own clothes, etc., and this is something she regrets.
5. Even though I am legally allowed to drink at 21, I know that people at the bar and liquor store will respect me more now that I’m 22.
There's a certain stigma that comes with age 21 in terms of the drinking world. People automatically peg you as an inexperienced and immature drinker, and assume you don't know how to drink "properly" (i.e. which drinks/alcohol are actually good and which ones are cheap and shitty). The age of 22 brings in a new air of maturity and respect to the drinking world--you've had time to explore different bars and types of alcohol, and you most likely have an "adult" drink that you can order and enjoy at any bar without looking like a rookie.
6. I’ve realized that taking shots is not my thing.
Why down shots of disgusting vodka when you can instead enjoy a delicious cocktail or a nice glass of wine? While turning 21 affords you the ability of ordering drinks at the bar and buying alcohol from the liquor store whenever you please, it takes a little while until you can truly learn how to enjoy drinking alcohol rather than just drinking to get drunk.
7. It's really no longer acceptable to be sloppy.
Everyone has a bad night now and again, but by 22 you should basically now what your limits are in terms of drinking. Your freshman self--taking 10 shots and then puking in your dorm bathroom later that night--is no longer really "okay."
8. In ten years I will be 32.
Kind of scary that in ten years I will be in my thirties? I try not to think about it.
9. The Taylor Swift song “22” finally applies to me.
The line “We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time / It's miserable and magical” really resonates with me.
10. I’m still young!
But really, 22 is so young.
