Rite of Passage?

I got carded tonight. I walked into a bar for a diet coke and a woman asked to see my ID. As I pulled it out and handed it over to the scanner, I felt a twinge in my stomach. I'm 21. This shouldn't have come as a great shock; after all, I have been 21 for 359 days already. I only have 6 days left of being 21, and yet, it wasn't until I handed that lady my horizontal driver's license that it really hit me; I am 21. And with that age comes quite a lot of life history. But, I am still just a baby. I have experienced over two decades worth of change and progress, yet ahead of me lies many more decades of upheaval and growth.

Sitting at the bar sipping my soda I felt out of place. I seemed too young to be able to sit there on that stool branded with the age of the black-lipped stamp on my wrist that seemed to scream to everyone there that I wasn't a wide-eyed 18 year old girl anymore. I was a card-carrying member of adult society, granted that stool as a result of my age. My age. 21 years of my age.

This time next week I will be 22. Life doesn't slow down for anyone; if you blink you just might miss it.

Last night I was at a party and someone asked me which of my skills was my favorite. I had to take a moment to think about it and then replied that I love that I can make an adventure out of anything. I learned that skill from my mother and grandmother. They had a way of making everything seem like it was glittering with magic and intrigue. I remember one section of my childhood when my mom was trying to make exercising seem more appealing, so she would put music on in the living room and make up dance routines with me and my little sister. We would dance and dance and laugh ourselves silly. We had so much fun.

I may have been a wee bit uncomfortable with my age tonight, but I at least could look back at the last 21 years and see adventure at every turn; somehow it makes it seem more real. There is no way a person could fit so much adventure in anything less than 21 fabulous years.

I am 21 as I quite deserve to be.

Goodnight, dear void.