A Quarter of a Century

That's right, in less than two days, I will be turning 25. Which brings me to my question, why's it such a big deal? When I turned 24 last year, nothing was said then. It's not like I received birthday cards saying, "Just one more year and you'll be a quarter of a century old." It's not as if on my 21st birthday, people were buying me shots and saying, "Enjoy it while it lasts Craig. In just four years, you'll be hitting that big number and turning a quarter of a century old." No, that didn't happen.

It sounds so old when they say that, just the mere mention of the word "century" has that effect. When someone says the number 25 by itself, then, big deal, right? But, a quarter of a century? Dang! That's old! Perhaps family just waits for this day, because after someone turns 21, there's really a four year gap until anything even semi-interesting happens. What happens when one turns 22, 23, and 24? Not much. But, 25? Oh, now we can have some fun! Quarter of a century! ha ha ha!

The really funny part is the fact that most people who tell me this are over half a century old. So, whenever I think about that, I just turn around, smile, and laugh. Yeah, I'm 25 now. I'd need to double my age and add a few years to equal where they're at. When I put things into perspective like that, I still feel young and that "century" phrase doesn't do anything to me. I'm just contemplating if I should use those comebacks against them on my birthday or not. It may depend on how frequently they use it. If they say the phrase once or twice, then it's no big deal. But if they say it continuously throughout the day and the evening, then I may have to come back with a line of my own.