Adulthood. Some say it begins on your 18th birthday, others say your 21st, biologically isn't it when you complete puberty? Or when you can take care of yourself mentally and financially? How about none of those? What even is adulthood? I know it's not that six-year-old me waiting to get my strawberry shortcake from Mr.Softee. So could it be when you lose your innocence. When you see the pain in the world, the hatred, the sickness, the death, but most importantly life’s hopeful undertone.

August 11th, 2016. My first concert. "Twenty One Pilots," that depressing, ‘emo', “its not a phase mom,” Rawr XD band. I knew a few songs going into this concert but really only wanted to go for the experience. That was a great concert and they knew how to put on a show. But it wasn't Tyler Joseph’s vocals or Josh Dun’s drum set that captivated me. Yet the screams of the crowd, their emotions pulsated through my veins that night. I could feel every single one of their individual experiences, their pain, their happiness, their attachment to these two boys. It was that night when I thought, why? How? What is so special about them that makes this crowd yell without making a sound.

So, as any normal person I began to do my research. I created data tables and graphs with a procedure and hypothesis. Finally, the conclusion. The lyrics. They were more than words. It was the emotions and experiences, the insecurities. All which was so hard to put into words. Right there, in his songs. But their lyrics not only related to our daily lives. Their sound instilled happiness in us. It made us giddy and feel like a child again.

That's adulthood. It's knowing the worlds crumbling around you but being able to love, and live happily. That concert changed me. I saw what the world really was but more importantly it made me happier than ever. Like I was six years old waiting to grab my favorite ice cream that no one else liked. That Strawberry Shortcake.