Twenty.

You're not a child, teenager, OR an adult. But, you're treated like you know what you're talking about. When people ask me my age and I say "twenty," they look at me almost waiting for the other number to follow. But nope, just twenty.  I'm in this awkward stage where I don't really know where to categorize myself.  I can run from a meeting with international businessmen to a dance party up in Salt Lake with no thought of, "was that weird?" I feel like it should be weird. But it's not. Because I'm twenty.

Being a mature 20-year-old.

The pros of being twenty are simple. People take you seriously when you say you're in your "twenties," although, lets be honest, they probably will more so when I'm in my thirties. Anyway, I can start thinking about career jobs because I'm almost a college graduate, my friends are coming home from their missions (finally), I have a couple of "independence years" under my belt, and I know how to successfully put air in my car tires without male assistance. (If you didn't get the sarcasm in the last one...it's in there.)


The cons aren't that bad, but they are limiting. Say for example, I want to go on a cruise. I can't go unless there's someone goes up with me that's at least 25. It happened to me this summer and it was possibly the saddest day of my life. But say on that cruise I wanted to rent a car. I couldn't have, again, because I wasn't old enough. Renting a car and going on a cruise are obviously two things that hinder my life. (Again, with the sarcasm.) Although not being able to go to some concerts makes me feel like a 12-year-old. Not like I've tried to go, just simply the fact that I can't bothers me a bit.


Okay, so the moral of the story is--age doesn't matter. Just because I'm twenty doesn't mean the world stopped or started. It just means that I'm growing up and realizing I'm becoming an adult. WEIRD. I still feel like I'm a senior in high school, and probably will until I have a kid. However, the thing I've learned is that it doesn't matter how old you are, it's how mature you are. What's the definition of maturity you ask? My 20-year-old answer: act like you know what you're doing, until you actually do know what you're doing, or in other words, "fake it 'till you make it." Maturity can get you a lot more places than age, that's for sure. But just think of what I can do when I'm 21...i'll let you know.