I Am Seventeen Going On Eighteen

I honest to goodness do not understand the significance of 18.

Except for the completely separate entities of drinking (because I am 18, not 21) and driving (because my permit expired) I am considered a legal adult.

More like a legal dolt.

I can now enlist in the military, vote, and you know the important things like buy dry ice and rent a Port-A-Potty.

I am being told I could live on my own, simply because I have been around the sun a magical and arbitrary number of times.

I'm not ready to face the world on my own. I still need my mom's warm hugs, my dad's wise advice, and my sister's quick-witted humor. I need it in my life constantly.

The whole brain injury thing is a factor in my unpreparedness for "adult" life. Also the driving thing, which to be honest is my own fault but real adults take public transportation too, right?

So... That's what I think this Gap Year is all about. It gives me another year before I really have to face whatever "adult life" is or seems to be.

Turning 18 is nothing bad, it just makes me wonder, that's all. Besides if making another trip around the sun warrants an occasion for cake, you know I'm down.

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