20

Why do people think turning 20 is pointless? 21 would be pointless if it wasn't the age of alcoholic legality. In Europe, it's probably pretty pointless.

20 is wonderful. 20 is a new decade. 20 is out of the teenagedom. It's fresh. 

When I turn 20—three months from tomorrow—I hope to feel renewed. I want to feel cleansed from my teenage years, having tied them up nice and neat. I want to really, truly be able to move on and focus on the now and the future. Propel forward, not get dragged back into that murky current.

20 is... adult. Almost. You're in your 20s. The time when many people rent/buy their first place, find a permanent partner, get on solid footing with their career. Or not. 

There's that scary possibility, in your 20s, that you won't find what you're looking for. That none of your dreams will come true. That you'll be broke, on your ass, alone, unsuccessful. When you go to college, ideas of the real world start creeping into your head, but they're just that: ideas. When you turn that magical 2-0, you're IN the decade where everything is supposed to happen.

But then again, don't they say the 30s are the new 20s? With everyone living longer and taking more time to figure out what the heck they want to do. 20s is exciting because it has the potential for such change, such growth. This decade is transformative; by the end we will be someone entirely different. Maybe the same at our core, but different.

And maybe we don't have to be scared. Because maybe there is room to change our minds. And since when is there an age limit on a family, a lifelong love, a dream come true? 

The possibilities are overwhelming and thrilling. Choices, changes, chances—they are abundant in this decade. So why not ring it in joyfully?

(remind me to repost this when I actually am 20)