21. Presents From People Who Like Me

Because despite all the other reasons on this list, I still want material items.

20. A Day All About Me

Just like number 21, even in my humble moments I am still a human being who needs validation to survive.

19. Spending Time With My Family

My momentous birthday gives me an excuse to see my extended family.

18. Spring Break, Bay Bee

I turn 21 the Monday of spring break so I'll be in Phoenix, Arizona when it happens!

17. A Reason To Celebrate

I will never say no to being at least pretend happy for even the most arbitrary reasons, if I can control it.

16. An Actual Reason To Celebrate

Turning 21 will be an especially momentous occasion for me, having been severely depressed and anxious since about 14 years old, I never expected to live to be 16, let alone to live this long.

Turning 21 so soon is instilling me with new hope for the future and a moment of reflection that I have survived so many hard times in the past. I can't wait to use it as a moment to reflect on my life and to remember how strong I am.

15. Going To Concerts

Being able to go to concerts without paying extra for being under 21 will be such a savior to my wallet, and allow me to catch my local shows so much easier too.

14. New Clubs

Being 21 will give me a whole slew of new nightlife experiences, especially in the form of 21+ nightclubs to experience.

13. Local Events

There are several local events in my town that go on where alcohol is served or present and so you have to be 21 to attend, and I am super excited to finally be able to go to them.

12. More Time With Friends

I'm a Pisces, and have a March birthday, which means that I am pretty much the baby of my friend group, and I am so stoked to finally be able to go do more things with all my 21+ friends.

11. New Movie Experiences

We have an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in my town, and I am definitely more than a little excited to be able to order a nice cocktail or beer to enjoy while I watch a movie now that I am gonna be of age.

10. Trivia Nights!

Several bars and restaurants in my town host trivia nights and all of them are 21+, and I can't wait to finally put together a team of friends and start kicking ass at trivia!

9. Birthday Messages

Getting wished a happy birthday is so special, whether it's private or public. Private texts are always full of so much emotion and feeling and a genuine reminder that people know when I was born and have made my being alive something for them to celebrate.

On the other side, my heart never feels as full as it does when my friends and family write those embarrassing public messages to me on social media during my birthday. Even if I'm dying from embarrassment, seeing their love pour out reminds me why life is worth it.

8. Post-Break Parties

Turning 21 after spring break means two things: an excuse to have a crazy cool spring break and an excuse to extend spring break into the next weekend so I can throw a big party with all my friends. I can't wait to go from surrounded by people I love to surrounded by different people I love.

7. A New ID

I have had my old ID since high school, and I am extremely stoked to have a shitty picture of myself that at least looks more like me now instead of looking like I did at 16 when I was much uglier. It'll be a lot less embarrassing to pull out my ID after I get the new one.

6. No Longer Having To Ditch Parties

We've all watched people run down the street away from a house a party was at, because a cop or two showed up. Being 21 will erase the fear when that happens, because I will no longer be a minor.

5. Strip Clubs

All the clubs in the area I live, including the ones friends of mine work at, are 21+. I don't see myself ever regularly attending a strip club but that doesn't mean I'm not at least a little bit excited to be able to say I've done it or to go support people I know at their jobs.

4. Casinos

Gambling is fun, but much like strip clubs in my area, all the casinos here are also 21+, so I'm really excited to finally be able to join my older friends and my parents on their occasional outings to go gamble.

3. No More Sharpies

This plays into the "clubbing" thing, I am so excited to be able to come home from a night out and instead of waking up with sharpie from my hands smeared across my face, to wake up with a wristband on, greatly reducing the amount of time I have to spend in the bathroom the following morning.

2. Weed In The Right States

In states where recreational marijuana is legal, you have to be 21 to purchase it, so turning 21 gives me another thing to be excited for, at least whenever I'm traveling.

1. The Booze, Of Course

Did you really expect me to skirt around the topic here? Of course I'm excited to be able to legally drink, it's the biggest perk of being 21!