Last week I turned 21 years young. The day I have been awaiting, for the past three years. So, what really happens once you celebrate your 21st birthday? Is it overrated? Well, it is the legal drinking age, one can gamble, rent a car, and go to clubs. The first thing I did was renew my driver’s license which was taken during my awkward phase with a side part and greasy hair. Alix Earle showed her renewed license picture and the difference as she says is wild. People do grow up, and I was not going to let the picture I carried around for years be awful. So, I naturally searched for the viral “photo ID makeup tutorial” on TikTok. My photo ended up coming out decent. Even though I would have liked to take more, in the end, it is just an ID picture.
At this point in the day, I felt a little different. The biggest difference I was when my parents visited Merrimack and took me out to dinner. I ordered a Strawberry Margarita in front of my parents, which was the first time ever. That feeling was a little nostalgic. Those days looking up to 21 and impatiently waiting to finally go out to bars with my friends had passed. I can finally go out in Boston or spend my money at Encore. Instead of having hour-long conversations in the car with my best friend, we can go to a bar and have a drink. I encountered way more options that I normally would not have had.
Like any other birthday, the next few days felt normal. After the day is over and there are no more random “hbd” Snapchat chats, you definitely feel like your birthday went by too quickly. The only person that kept mentioning my shock of an age is my grandmother. She thinks it is crazy that I am not still 14.
Celebrating with my friends definitely highlighted the weekend. My best friend and I were born three days apart, so our friends planned a combined birthday party. Some people might dislike sharing the spotlight on a birthday, but I love it. We got to share so many memories together when turning 21 and experience the same things that week. My roommates creatively bought the big 21 balloons, glow sticks, and a cake with blue Smirnoff nips on the top. We ended up having all our friends over and it ended up being a fun time for everyone.
Thanksgiving Eve approached quickly considering my birthday falls in November. Most of my hometown friends are already 21, so it kind of works out. We plan to go to either our hometown bar or one near us. Walking into the same bar as basically your entire high school is horrifying, to say the least, but exciting at the same time. Just to catch up for a few seconds and see where everyone is at in their lives now can be fun. In my opinion, turning 21 is a little overrated considering some of us do the same things we would usually do. However, as the years go on, I definitely have way more choices and flexibility when it comes to my social life. I cannot wait to experience more while I am 21. For those awaiting their 21st birthday, I would advise you to definitely do all the Pinterest things you see on social media even if it seems cringy. It is one day out of the year you can go all out and drink… responsibly of course.