Woah! You're 25 now?!

Being 25 is such a weird age.  Six months ago I turned 25, so I feel that I am fully qualified to comment on the great things and stranger things of being this age.

You turn 25 and your friends say "halfway to fifty!" Your parents ask where your walking stick is, and your brother declares "quarter of the way to 100!"  You go home and cry into your cup of tea whilst watching the news and wondering what you can put into your packed lunch tomorrow.

25 is great.  Is it closer to 30 or 20? I mean, technically it is closer to 30 as no one is getting any younger, but you can get away with it.  You're friends with 30 year olds.  You're friends with 20 year olds.  Your friends in their 30s are more fun.

You don't care what you look like anymore.  When you make the effort you can look great, even you fancy yourself when you're ready for an evening out.  But during the day what does it matter if you're not wearing make up? Who cares if your clothes aren't matching?  Sure, it's acceptable to go to the supermarket looking like a homeless person who has been dragged through a hedge backwards, and then you bump into a work colleague.

You get invited for drinks with the neighbours.  What?! Me?! Seriously?!  You have to act grown up, sipping on champagne and nibbling on whatever food they offer you, making adult conversation.  This feels great! I feel so grown up!! The next evening you let loose with your friends doing handstands against the living room wall and sliding along the kitchen in your socks.  Just because you can.  You can act like you're five with your friends.

You get told you're old, way too much.  You go to a festival and get chatting to a group of people , you find out they are sixteen, they find out you are 25 and they say "that's old".  You're at a bar and you get ID'd. the guy checking the ID says "woah, sorry" when he realises how old you are.  You get chatting to a guy on a night out who turns out to be 19 and when he learns you are 25 he says "that's so old".  CHEERS EVERYONE.  Make me feel good about myself why don't you.  It's not like I am ancient.  I am only TWENTY FIVE.

You get told you're young, quite a lot.  You get ID'd all the time, which is great.  Please ID me forever people.  You get your ID out for the older lady who works at the supermarket, who then gets out her magnifying glass and asks if your ID is real.  Erm look at this face, does it look younger than 18?  I don't think so.  You get talking to a guy on a night out who turns out to be 20 (why do the young ones always choose me), and when he discovers I am 20 says that I don't look that old, I only look 23.  THANK YOU! I don't care if you are just saying this.  I love you!! Just kidding you're way too young for me.  You're in your day job at the hospital and often patients ask if I'm old enough to be in this job.  No.  I'm not actually.  I'm just some young impostor off the street who happens to know what they're doing.

It's Saturday night.  You're in bed, with your favourite blanket and a hot water bottle, whilst sipping on a cup of tea and writing a blog post about being 25.  It's 10pm and you are in bed.  You were in bed by 9pm last night, and that was a Friday night.  It's the weekend, SORT YOUR LIFE OUT.  Wait.  It's January and it's cold outside.  I couldn't think of anything worse than going on a night out right now.  I love nights in!!

You go on a night out.  It feels like your group of friends are the oldest in the bar (maybe because this is a Thursday and it's student night).  Everyone is downing pints and acting so immature, a 10 year old (perhaps he could pass for 18) touches your bum.  There are girls wearing just bras.  Are they not going to get frost bite?! But then you and your friends rip up the dance floor, show them how it's done, dancing like it's 1989 (I wasn't even born in '89.)  It's been a great night.  You're knackered, it's late.  You go home at 1am.

It's Christmas.  You have friends over, the collection of empty wine bottles grows larger and larger.  You end up on a night out, there's shots, there's beers, there's all types of drinks you don't even remember.  You leave the club at 3am, and invite everyone over for a party.  You go to bed at 6am.  You have work that afternoon,  You can still do it (just).

You know how to avoid a hangover.  You know how much alcohol your body can take.  You know to eat before drinking.  You know to drink water during the night out and plenty of water before going to sleep. You know mixing drinks equals a headache.  Never drink beer after consuming wine.  Most shots make you sick.  You know all this, and often stick to it.  Those times you feel young when you wake up in the morning, yesssss you still don't get hangovers.  Sometimes you choose to ignore this wealth of information.  Very stupidly may I add.  Those are the times you wake up wanting to chop your head off.  You swear to never drink again, at least not that month.  You feel old.  You can't do hangovers anymore.

You have a job.  Make that a full time career.  You have to be responsible in your job.  You got a promotion not that long ago, that means the managers actually believe you are responsible enough.  It is your duty to train people, to organise people.  What?! Me?! I can't even organise myself.  But somehow you are doing it, maybe sometimes blindly, but you are actually doing it.  20 year old you would be shocked and proud.

You save money and think about the future.  Every weekend used to involve some sort of drinking and spending money. Now the drinking and spending has slowed down, you save money like a responsible adult. Sure, you used to save money but then would dip into it at the end of the month.  But that is now forbidden.  You have realised that you are actually capable of saving money and thinking sensibly about the future.

What is age really though?  You are only as old as you want to be.  Right?!