I Don't Know About You...But Here Is My Issues With Being 22

Taylor Swift made a song about how glorious it is to be the sensational age of "22".  In this song, she described this year of one's life with words such as "happy", "free", "confused", "lonely", "miserable", and "magical", and mind you, all of these words were just in the chorus of the song. As confusing as all these words may sound together, Swift could not have picked better adjectives to describe what being 22 is all about. While some older people may long for the days when they were in their early twenties, I damn sure cannot wait to see what late twenties are all about. I mean, I don't know about you, but I have a few issues with being 22.

1. You aren't 21 anymore. 

Obviously, right? But if you look a little closer, you can see responsibilities coming forth full steam ahead and irresponsibility slipping right through the back door. College is either over or soon to be over (for most) and it is time to start thinking about what you are actually going to do with your life. Yeah, that thing that you have been sustaining and keeping alive with the help of your parents. After the age of 21 you suddenly realize that you aren't getting any younger and it is no longer acceptable to scream out "YOLO" after every irrational, irresponsible, and utterly childish thing that you do. Yeah, after 21 YOLO is just not an excuse buddy.

2. No more birthdays to look forward to.

You waited so long to be 13, that was the age that deemed you an official teenager. You jumped for joy when you turned 16, that meant high school was half-way over and you could drive! Cool! Remember when you turned 18?  You finally got a whiff of freedom as you were considered to be the legal age of an adult, oh the joy. You then patiently waited for the day that you would finally become 21, the age where life finally opens up it's arms to you. Well once you are 22,  you take a step back from life's anticipated bear hug and then ask it, "Now what?", in which life takes that as a sign of your ungratefulness and decides to turn it's back on you and give you the cold shoulder. Ouch life, that really hurts.

3. Reality starts to set in.

Above all, 22 is when reality really starts to set in, at least this was the case for me. College is slowly dwindling away and I am now stuck with the awkwardness of not knowing how to move on and progress in life without the controlled environment that school once provided me. Woe is me. I definitely believe that 22 is an age where you realize that you are growing older, your friends are getting married, having children, and people are moving on. You should be getting a move on too, but you just aren't sure in which direction that you should take your first step, while you still know that you have to move.

So being 22 may not sound as hip and cheery as Taylor Swift sung it out to be, but if you would have listened to the actual lyrics of her song instead of following the cheerful melody, you would notice all the truth the song holds. The lyrics tell you that, "hey, life is happening and you are in for a bumpy ride so buckle up", but the melody tells you "get ready for the ride of your life, you may get lost and make a few wrong turns, but you will get there, and even better there will be kick ass music for your enjoyment, many people to meet, and memories to make along the way".



Yeah, I don't know about you....but I'm feeling 22.