My flatmate turned 21 last month. Despite the excitement of presents and celebrations, he was less than enthused about his birthday.
I'm a firm believer in the notion that eloquent slices of inspirational rhetoric are able to better any situation. I decided, therefore, to search for a quote to remedy his mood.
I thought that a wee one-sentence wonder from Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin, Aristotle or Anonymous was sure to do the trick!
I googled "quote + twenty-first birthdays" and found a few words from F. Scott Fitzgerald: "When a man is tired of life on his 21st birthday, it indicates that he is rather tired of something in himself." Obviously, this wasn't helpful.
I visited another website, and came across a depressing little line by Robert Southey: "Live as long as you may. The first 20 years are the longest half of your life." Oh, dear. Surely there must be something positive to be gained from ageing?
I skipped ahead to read quotes about 30th birthdays, and once again Fitzgerald set a dark mood: "Thirty - the promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning briefcase of enthusiasm, thinning hair."
I didn't even finish reading that one aloud - it nearly reduced us both to tears. I closed my laptop.
"I've found a good one!" I yelled across the hallway. I cleared my throat and improvised: "Twenty-one is a fantastic age to be."
My flatmate wasn't fooled, and, upon rising the following morning, lamented the loss of his youth. The age of 21 is no longer a legal milestone. Regardless, it's still fun to enjoy it with a bit of a party, and pretend that it represents some kind of sentimental transition into adulthood.
Or, contrarily, are such celebrations an effort to make light of the sad reality that one is "growing up"?I suppose that depends on whether you consider it sad. And whether growing older and growing up are the same things.
Growing old seems to be non-negotiable, yet growing up is quite another matter entirely. I'm still not sure which reason was the cause of my aforementioned flatmate's distress.
My other flatmate and I are far more excited about our birthdays; we have been discussing it for at least the last eight months.
Our desired venue is Larnach Castle. A marquee will be erected on the castle's front lawn, and we will have a champagne afternoon tea. The theme will complement that of the gardens: "Alice in Wonderland".
We have even organised some of the finer specifications: the male geese will have blue bows around their necks; the female geese will have pink bows.
Yes, we've spent rather a lot of time planning our make-believe party. As for the real one, well, undoubtedly it'll be far less exciting. But unfortunately that's to be expected of reality, when one becomes an adult.
• Katie Kenny studies English at the University of Otago.
