Turning 20 is such a strange sensation. You have been alive for two whole decades. You're an adult and technically have been for two years now, but you're no longer a "-teen." You can do some things you weren't able to do before as a teenager, but you still can't drink, which sort of sucks.
As you enter the first full decade of adulthood, there are a few things you should have or know in order to be taken as a serious twenty-year-old.
1. Have at least $10 to your name.
It's not a lot, but it can at least buy you a meal at McDonald's or a pint of ice cream.
2. Know your favorite color.
Sure, your favorite color can change, but there is no reason to say, "I don't know," when asked! You're 20! Pick one!
3. Know how to cook a meal.
Whether it be a braised short rib or mac & cheese, you should at least know how to make one meal so that you don't spend all of your money on going out. Soup is always a good meal. Anything can be a soup. Also salad.
4. Have an expanded palette.
You're 20 now; it's time to stop being so picky. If you're going to eat only chicken tenders at a restaurant like a child, expect to be treated like one. You should be tasting two bites of something you haven't tried before. It's one thing if you don't like certain fruits and veggies because you simply don't like the taste. It's different when you're just being ignorant and stubborn and won't even take a bite.
5. Have a favorite fiction AND non-fiction novel
Now that you're into adulthood, you need to broaden your literary horizon. Fiction is always fun, and you should definitely have a favorite novel by now, but it's time you dabble in non-fiction if you haven't already.
7. Have a specific movie for any occasion.
It's high time you sort your favorite movies into categories based on moods. Need a feel-good movie? You've got one. A movie to cry with? Easy. A movie for date night? Check! The perfect movie to watch with friends? Always on hand. The best Halloween/Christmas/holiday movie? You're in a festive spirit!
7. Know that you need 8 hours of sleep.
Yes, you know you need eight hours to have a good night's sleep. That doesn't necessarily mean that you get it every night, though.
8. How to fill out a form.
Whether you're filling out a doctor's questionnaire or a job application, you should know by now how to fill those out. Same with answering questions yourself at the doctor's office. Face it though, your mom still helps you answer those though.
9. How to do laundry.
It goes beyond just sticking your clothes into the washer and throwing in a Tide Pod and calling it a half-hour day. You should know by now that you need to separate your darks from your whites and that you should definitely never wash a red shirt with white pants. You either learn this through common sense or the hard way and a lot of bleach.
10. Know all of the words to your favorite song.
You don't want to make a fool of yourself at karaoke, do you?
11. Know your fun-fact about yourself.
All those years of doing ice-breakers, you should have landed on a fact about yourself that gets the most reactions.
12. Have three words to describe yourself.
Trust me, they ask this all of the time in interviews. There are plenty of tests and quizzes you can take online to help you figure this out. Personally, I use my Hogwarts House description most often. Ravenclaw: Intelligent, Witty, Creative.
13. Have a favorite dinosaur.
Listen, I don't make the rules, I'm just relaying them to you. Over the past 20 years of your life, you can't tell me you haven't decided on a favorite dinosaur.
14. Have a dream goal.
What is there to life if you're not working towards a goal? It can be a short-term goal like waking up earlier in the morning or a long-term goal like working towards a career. Either way, the beginning of your twenties is the perfect time to start on these goals.
15. Binged an entire show.
I'm hoping you've experienced binging a show in its entirety before you're 20, but just in case you haven't, you need to. There's no better satisfaction than finally finishing the series finale of a show you've only started a few days ago.
16. Know how to fix a car.
Like change a tire, change the oil, and jump start it. Or, at least, know who to call to get them to do it for you.
17. Know every line to your favorite Disney movie.
You've probably watched it a bazillion times since you were a kid and it's hard not to know every line by heart (and song).
18. Follow at least 5 dog/cat accounts on Instagram.
Being 20 is hard and your days are long. There's no better way to wind down than to scroll through your timeline and like every single picture of a dog/cat you come across.
19. Have an abundance of scented candles.
You're not quite sure what's so alluring to them. 10 years ago, you would have spent your free time playing outside. Now, you'd rather be inside engulfed in the lovely scents of Capri Blue Volcano.
20. Be nice.
You've seen a lot in the past 20 years, and what you can take away from it all is to just be nice to everyone. No use in wasting your adult time by filling it with childish drama.
If you haven't accomplished these things and you're in your 20's or quickly approaching them, this would be a good list to get you set up.
Entering your 20's is nothing to be afraid of. It's the start of a new chapter in your life and you should embrace it. There's no need to rush through them, and there's no use in worrying about what will happen on the other side. All you can do is take one day at a time and enjoy it.
Going to the cinema alone is good for your mental health, says science
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