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Opinion | Turning 21 allows for path of self-discovery

Sarah Title, titlese@muohio.edu

Birthdays are important. Anybody who knows me knows how strongly I feel about birthdays. While some write them off as unnecessary and self-absorbed, I believe celebrating yourself for one day never hurt anyone. Plus, you've made it this far, why not take a load off and enjoy yourself? I take all birthdays seriously. Not just my own, but those of my friends as well. Work and classes on one's birthday are just not acceptable and you absolutely, 100 percent need to be wearing some kind of sash or tiara (well, except the boys), so that everyone knows it's your special day.

While every age is some kind of important milestone, I believe they all lead up to one, big, fantastic and ultimate day: your 21st. A 21st birthday is the day every college student dreams of. When you hit 18, you think "only three more years until I'm 21!" and so on every year after that. It's your biggest celebration, the moment you've been dying for.

Why the entire spectacle? Why is "The 21st Birthday" a bigger deal than every other birthday?

Because one of my best friends is turning 21 this next week, I began to think about what this magic number means.

Being 21 can bring you confidence. Not necessarily in your appearance (getting older never does that) but "Uptown confidence."

You'll be able to feel the jealous eyes of "the unders" following you as you walk into a bar. After flashing your legal ID at the bouncer you can head in knowing that no cop is going to be coming after you anytime soon.

Also, the only cash you need in your pocket is for those first legal drinks you'll be drinking. You can kiss those super long lines goodbye for good.

When you're 18, you may legally be an adult, but you're still in high school. You're about to start out on a new adventure where you may be a completely new person without even realizing it. You'll make all new friends and discover what path you want to take for your life. Discovery and realization about oneself do not seem like adult-like tasks. Adults seem more secure in themselves and they have an idea of where they're going and started taking steps toward getting there. Kind of sounds a lot like being 21.

Twenty-one-year-olds are settled in school. They've made close friends. They know where they are going. Twenty-one just sounds more "adult." Now don't get me wrong, there's a lot to be learned and there's still a lot of childish things you're still going to secretly enjoy (Disney or Nickelodeon anyone?).

But that right there is the beauty of being 21. You've really got the perfect blend of everything you could want out of life. You're not a freshman anymore, with your awe-widened eyes with a thousand choices for friends and majors before you. You're also not a complete adult yet. Thinking of all the consequences and making the best decision may not be something we've all mastered, although we'd like to think we have. But it's okay because we aren't responsible for other people yet. Only ourselves.

So 21-year-olds, consider yourselves as lucky. You really do have the best of both worlds (hello, Disney Channel). Oh, and you've got a nice ID to carry along with you.

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