By Bryan Espinosa
Eighteen, what a glorious age. It is the age when life begins. The age when you are free from your sentence of 18 years and a crescendo of angels sing “Oh Happy Day.” It is a stepping stone into the real world and an exit out of our sheltered bubble. The past behind us, and a whole, open world in front of us.
We see this as a milestone, where we are given the chance to make our own choices, witness the events that our younger eyes were sheltered from. But once we get to this point, we ask ourselves the big question: “what now?” We as humans like to think long term, but we can never see this number coming at us like an 18-wheeler. And when we open our eyes the sun is brighter, and the grass is greener. The first day of adulthood has come.
I remember after the recent hurricane; I saw a tree blown down from its foundation. It had been recently cut so all that remained was a stump and roots. I got closer and counted the big brown rings embedded inside, and counted eighteen. I am the same age as this tree, the only difference is one of us is still standing. Maybe eighteen might not be a good number for everyone, but what do I know, I’m talking about a tree.
Trees can’t feel the pressure of eighteen, but we can. But instead of sinking under that pressure, why not enjoy it. We are in the prime of our lives and nothing can stop us. And with the knowledge we have sucked up like vacuums over the years, we can take life by the hand and take a stroll, a walk, or a run. It just depends on the person and where they want to go.
Eighteen, a glorious age. The entrance into adulthood, but not fully; the exit out of childhood, but not entirely. We reach the end of a straight path to thousands of forks in the road for us to choose from. Because we finally have the option to choose which way we go. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of NYU DC Violets or the NYU DC Program, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.
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