Last weekend, it was my birthday. I became a technical adult in the eyes of society/the law.

It was a weird day.

Do I feel different? Absolutely.

I have this weird sense of rebellion now, and it seems strange to me that nothing drastic in my surroundings changed, because I feel like a changed person. I feel like I should have a major sense of responsibility now. Something. Anything.

Maybe I feel so rebellious because I finally got the gold nose ring I’ve been wanting for a year now (thanks mom), maybe it’s because I got a tattoo, (you did what?!?!?!?!? thanks dad), but I just feel like everyone in America who recently turned eighteen should all meet at a convention and talk about our feelings and eat sushi or something. Possibly ride rollercoasters at Six Flags.

I didn’t realize how many things I can do on my own now: buy cigarettes, walk into a tattoo parlor and just slap my ID down to get fresh ink, get a piercing, buy dry ice and lighter fluid, open a bank account, acquire a passport, walk into the doctor’s office and not get shade for going without a parent or a note saying they know I’m there by myself (that’s another story), etc. The world is my oyster now, and it’s a beautiful feeling. But it’s also slightly frightening.

I’m 97% excited about it, but approximately 3% of me feels like I should buy a used motorcycle and run away from adulthood. I mean, there’s a lot of life ahead of me that’s ready to be lived. If you think about it too much, it gets overwhelming. Hence, the motorcycle. Did I mention that sometimes I feel like a young child? Yet, I feel that excuse loses effectiveness once you’re actually an adult.

Sarah says: if you’ve recently turned eighteen, please come up to me and talk to me about your experience because I want to know if this is a real thing everyone goes through or if it’s just me.