I've stumbled upon various songs and articles over the past while,
most notably Blink 182's "What's My Age Again," and countless
blogs focused around down playing how horrible it actually is to turn 23. While
aging, for some, can be a bit terrifying, it is quite honestly up to the
"eye of the beholder" as some would say.
Now without discrediting some experiences
that others may have had with this particular age, I would like to welcome you
into what I have learned since turning the big "23".
1.) You (or at
least many) are finally free. Get that? If you're anything like me, you probably
jumped right into college directly following graduation. Think
about it, you spent sixteen years in high school, and then another four years
after that just sober enough to pass all of your classes to become a
"grown-up".
Now guess what?
Whether you believe it or not, you can do whatever your
little heart desires. The sad part is that many people don't realize this and
find themselves not enjoying their lives as much as they could be. So instead
of following that route, be a free ass bird you little 23 year old, take this
opportunity by the gonads and actually do something that you want to do!
I mean come on,
you already did what was expected of you by getting that damn diploma anyway, why
don't you do a little something for yourself?
2.) With that
being said, you are now entitled to fuck around for a year. This seems crazy
for me even writing this, but honestly, why not? Too many people stress about
money and how it will eventually buy them happiness.
We want to own
things and we want to do it as soon as possible. At 23 we won't be judged if we
take a little time to find ourselves, in fact, it might just put us that much
further ahead than others who didn't take a little risk.
By no means am I saying that it's a bad
thing to settle on down, actually, some people need it. My only point here is
at 23 you are capable of doing what you want to do now. So let me ask you something:
What would you
like to do and why are you not doing it? Is it because of money? If yes, then
see my next point.
3.) You're
probably broke! Yes! WOO-FREAKING-HOO! This'll probably be a shocker for you as
well, but you were broke in college and you're still one broke ass cracker now.
At this moment it may seem like it sucks,
but don't think like that. You are attaining trivial knowledge by knowing how
to find bars and restaurants with the best deals, making old outfits look like
new ones, and utilizing the ability to mix unlikely foods together to create an
"exquisite" cuisine.
We knew how to
rough it at 22 and dammit we're going to stick it out just a little longer.
Keep in mind that money is everywhere and I promise that you're not going to be
broke forever, you just won't. As a matter of fact, I'm sure the future you
will smile fondly back at the time when you made it all work out.
4.) It's very true
that you won't need to party every night because you're beginning to find
happiness in the little things.
Some nights,
chilling on the couch with a best buddy laughing your ass off at dumb jokes
sounds just as fun as raging face at some club. At 23 we get the best of
both worlds because we can still go ham if we want to, but we can also find
comfort in the tranquil moments as well.
I'm a firm believer that sometimes the
party never leaves certain people, and I could name for you at least four over
forty-year-old people who thoroughly enjoy being the life of the party. Just because
you get a little older doesn't mean you have to be old.
5.) At this point
in our lives, we begin to see the people who are going to stick it out through
the long haul with us.
I don't really like the sound of this, but
honestly, it's true. Indeed, I have many friends who I may not talk to
frequently, but I would still walk uphill on a bed of thorns, barefoot, to collect
a phone that they had forgotten at the top.
With all that
aside, there are still those extra special individuals who will make more of an
effort to remain an active presence in your life- even after that diploma is
hung and framed.
6.) You get to
finally start paving your path a little deeper for what you want to do with
your life. Do you want to get a Masters? Do it. Do you want to travel the world
with the only bit of savings you actually have? Go for it. Are you ready to
start your life professionally? Then dammit, you get out there and you do it,
Carol!
One thing to keep
in mind is that you are paving the path; you don't have to
be anywhere, yet. Explore, experiment, and have a good time doing it.
You can take this year, this 23rd year,
and do what you want to do with it. It's up to you and nobody can stop you.
What you do with it is all you baby; just don't be one of those people who are
too hard on themselves.
Many of us expect to have the world in the
palm of our hands. We counted on having fancy cars and having an awesome career
set and ready to go. Don't let this catch you by surprise when these things don’t
happen because they don’t need to (well, yet anyway). Life is not a race, and
it will never be one. The only person who makes it a "competition" is
you, and when you start taking life too seriously, you'll find yourself complaining
about how terrible it is.
We've all heard this before, but age is
just a number, and although every day may not be the best, it certainly won't
be the worst (generally speaking that is). It's imperative you take this life
to live. Just as 22 was bad-ass, so is 23, 24, and every year after. Just be
sure that whatever you do, you won't waste these precious moments because if
you do, I hate to break it to you, you will never get them back.
Enjoy 23 you sexy, sexy beasts.
Peace and love from your gay ginger
friend,
Korey.
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