It has been about one month since I officially entered adulthood and turned 21. So far it’s been pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, the combination of this milestone and my cousin Richard’s wedding had me thinking about how furiously the years fall.
I’ve never been one for change, but it occurs anyway. I adapt as best I can and keep moving forward, but recently I began to think about how fast time was moving. 21? Really? For the longest time I thought of 21 as being this mythical event in other people’s lives. I rarely considered I would make it there simply because it always seemed so far away. It was waiting for me, but I was content with staying young.
This isn’t the point of the entry where I give you the whole “greater responsibilities” wrap. You’ve heard that one before. Personally, getting older has made me question my relevance. It seems like all these 20-somethings are just herded together; waiting for a job or a break that may never come. I was afraid that I might age and never have the chance to do something truly great. I know I’m still young, but 21 is daunting and, for me, it was a shock to my system. My future is unknown. It’s out of my control. My path is twisting and turning and I might not be able to keep up.
Then my cousin Rich got married. This was another event that took me by surprise. I mean, I knew about the wedding for awhile, but this is my cousin Rich. It feels like we were just kids playing in Bubba’s backyard and now he’s got a wife. As I watched the ceremony unfold, I couldn’t help but think about how old all of my relatives and I were becoming.
When I got to the reception, I was pretty hammered (one of the perks of being in the wedding party). I wasn’t too blitzed to see something very important though. There was Rich and his new wife Katie surrounded by friends and family wishing them the best. Through the years, these were the people who held some type of significance in their lives. They were drinking. They were dancing. They were celebrating the sacred union between a man and a woman. The revelation I was longing for occurred at this wedding reception somewhere outside of Pittsburgh.
I figured it out. Even though I’m aging at an unsavory pace; so is everyone else. All the people in my life who love and support me are acquiring wrinkles and tired bones as well. I don’t know what’s going to happen down the road. None of us do, but it’s comforting to be in confused company. You hit 21. You finish school. You get a job. You find someone who makes you feel relevant and marry them. You immerse yourself in family and friends because they’re on the same ride.
Enjoy that ride. Enjoy the moments. Today will end and you’ll be another day older, but that’s okay. That’s life.
