April 11 marks the day of my birth, and I'm sure it also does for many others. Beyond that, I'm also sure that many others will be having or already have had their 20th birthday this year. To some, their 20th birthday is just another birthday. It's not like when you turned 16 and you become legally able to drive. It's not like when you turn 18 and you (supposedly) become your own boss and can give your own consent to numerous things, whether it be verbal or signed with a flourish on a piece of paper. And it's not like age 21, where alcohol and casinos and concealed handgun licenses become available to you.
Turning 20 years old doesn't really hold a lot of important benchmarks, except for one.
You are not a teen anymore.
Many people have long since taken the word teen out of their personal description when they turn 18 since that is what society has deemed to be the "adult" age. But is it really? Have they really learned enough about life at 18 years old to deem themselves an adult?
Have we learned enough at 20?
While there are only two years between the two ages, I can say for certain that I've learned more than a handful of lessons, both harsh and beneficial, that are pertinent to who I am now. I know what it's like to be on my own. I know what it's like to have to go through stressful and frankly very difficult times physically by myself and have to solve them all on my own. I know what it's like to carry responsibility like a weight on my back and work to lighten that load only to carry more as I go along.
I'm not saying that those younger than myself haven't gone through some of these, nor am I saying that all 20 year-olds have gone through these things. All I know is that I have and these trials have and continue to shape who I am as a person.
It's time now, if ever, to focus on who we want to be and work towards it. It's time now to realize that you should take the opportunities that have opened up to you and step out of your comfort zone to experience new things.
Whether you're in college or not, whether you're currently where you wanted to be or not, take this time to plan out what you want to do with your life now and start living.
Turning 20 only happens once in your life. Don't let it go to waste.
