“It’ll be fun,” they said. “Do something new." So yes, of course on my twenty-first birthday I went out to downtown Hampton to all of the bars that my older friends ranted about. I rode the bull and started a line dance at a bonfire. It was all fun and games until the next day—and no, I don’t mean a hangover. Being 21 and one day is no fun. If you are anything like me (stressed, anxious, and a detailed planner), this is a day where life hits you. Laying in bed in a dark room, trying to stop everything from spinning, you realize 'I’m not a kid anymore.' Yes, you probably thought that when you turned 18, but once you turned 21, it is like the first day of the rest of your life.
After 21, you just start counting down the days. Days until summer, days until graduation, days until your mom stops requiring you to call her every day to check in. It’s like you are counting down days for the rest of your life. Being 21 and a day is when you become completely engaged in the person you have become. You realize that all of the things you set out to do after graduating high school, you still have not accomplished. But how can you complete any of these tasks now, after all, you need to start preparing to graduate and get the career that you’ve been dreaming about.
Being a day over 21 is when you realize that summer is no longer a vacation, but a few months outside of school to continue to work. Interning, studying abroad, graduate school tours and applications—this summer is like an extended working lunch where you need to network, interview, and enhance your resumé. Forget spending lazy weeks on the couch or by the pool, every day needs to be spent preparing for the rest of your life. Hopefully you’ll get an internship or job in your college town, because if not, you can add "returning to school" to the list of events you are counting down.
Being a day over 21 is when you realize your headache is not from the alcohol, but from life. But, it will all work itself out. A job's criteria may seem like it includes a resumé, cover letter, five years of prior experience and a win in the 74th Hunger Games. But if I have learned anything from my tenure at Hampton, it is that we unknowingly learn a plethora of transferable skills that can be applied in many fields. So, just take life one day at a time and everything will be fine. 21 and two days here I come!
