Turning twenty

The day I turned 20 was one of the worst days in my life. I was in college and my SO boyfriend had distanced himself from me. I was running around with someone else, just on a friendly basis, but he wanted a lot more. I was dealing with intense depression and suddenly, I was no longer a teenager.

There is a happy ending here. The next year I got with my boyfriend and I was no longer stressing about not being 19. He and I had a lot of fun together until the end of our senior year when the world fell apart: the Vietnam War draft, graduation and a lot of personal problems. Oh to be 20 once more. Enjoy it while you've got it!

20 was not a good age for me. I had my mother and two sisters to support. Dad passed six weeks before I graduated.
I was not old enough to vote or get a drink stateside but I was old enough to be drafted.
I was on my second tour in Viet Nam and no I hadn't volunteered.

I don't remember much from my 20th birthday. No big party (I don't really like being the centre of attention), just a small celebration with family, business as usual. But I suspect I was looking forward to it, as another confirmation of my adulthood and independence.

I agree with GoldDragonAurkarm and MeTaLMaNN that 30 is the big deal, at least so it seems as you approach it, as you are about to get "really old" and get kicked out of the privileged group of 20-somethings who seem to have all the fun (remember the Friends episode where they recall everyone's 30th birthday? - that kind of feeling). But actually it's not that bad, not bad at all. Now I also enjoy reading blogs and stories from guys in their 40's and 50's who still live very active and interesting lives, sometimes more so than the young people, as they already have the basics, like money and relationships, sorted out.

Enjoy your 20's. They will be over sooner than you think.

Btw, had our ancestors decided that something other than 10 would be the base for the number system, the big birthdays could have been like 7, 14, 21, 28, 35... (although the numbers would have different names and symbols)