Today, as some of you may know, is Chris' 21st birthday. That's right, the big 2-1. It seems to me that for a lot of people the 21st birthday is the big one, sort of last hurrah if you will. A chance for people to have another huge party and imbibe excessive amounts of alcohol, as if that isn't what they had been doing for at least the last 3 years. Even though the age at which one can legally buy alcohol in New Zealand is 18, the 21st birthday is still the biggest. This is because at 21 a person steps into adulthood, leaves adolescence and the teenage years behind, and in a way begins the rest of their life.
This troubles me to a certain extent because my 21st birthday is coming up in a mere 13 days and I am not sure if enough will change between now and then for me to jump off the proverbial springboard into adulthood. I think that it is the habit of some to overreact to an upcoming birthday milestone (16, 21, 30, 40, 50 ect) and to begin to worry about how old they are getting or already start fearing the future. This pattern of thought could sort of describe my reaction to turning 20 (along with a general fear of having to be more 'responsible'), but 352 after the fact I can say that not a lot changed. Sure I grew, became different, perhaps even may seem 'older', but that is a reflection of experiences and trials, not the date March 21st.
So as today is the birthday of one my greatest childhood friends and one of the most important people in my life today, I welcome it. I welcome 'growing up', new experiences, and new things to find and learn about life. I am grateful that this life changes, that with more days, weeks, months, and years come new things to be discovered around every corner. And, instead of reacting to growing up with fear and a longing to be young again, I’ll move towards age, maturity, new experiences, and new endeavors with excitement and gratefulness.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment