My best friend and I share a birthday -- but some weird twist of fate (or the ridiculous cutoff dates for New Jersey school registration in our childhoods) has made her an entire year older than me. She turns 21 the same day I turn 20. Coming from the baby of my group of friends, here’s why it’s actually kind of cool that you’re a year behind everyone else.

1. You get to drive a lot of (nice?) cars.

Automatically being the designated driver means you get to test drive a bunch of different cars -- half of them are falling apart and they occasionally have someone throwing up in the backseat, but it’s still kind of fun!

2. Free food.

Your legal friends feel bad that you have to deal with their intoxicated states, and sometimes feel bad enough to buy you a Happy Meal when they force you to drive their car to the seedy drive-through on the way home.

3. Free entertainment.

If you ever wanted to moderate an impassioned karaoke contest on the drive home, now’s your chance.

4. No one guilts you into going out when you’re busy.

You have two papers due tomorrow and a midterm you need to study for on Friday morning? Now that no one’s trying to convince you to partake in Thirsty Thursday festivities, you’re free to drown in homework without shots being shoved in your face.

5. You save money.

Not paying for drinks is the way to go.

6. You still have an excuse to dress in a ridiculous costume and hang out in a basement.

It’s not sad because you literally can’t go anywhere else.

7. Your photography skills get a lot better.

Another birthday, another chance to take tons of pictures of your friends looking like idiots. Yay,
blackmail!

8. And you finally have a use for that first-aid course you took in high school.

You give out Band-Aids and Advil like candy.

9. No embarrassing Snapchats.

Being too young to go out means no one is going to capture your stupidity and post it before you’re in your right mind to veto it.

10. You can better plan out your own 21st celebration.

You know which bars to avoid, which ones have a better Happy Hour deal, and which ones are the best to end your night at.

11. All your friends can actually celebrate with you.

You don’t have to worry about leaving anyone out -- EVERYONE is old enough to come out with you!

Okay, so some of these are completely ridiculous (does anyone really want to moderate a karaoke contest?), but hopefully this list reminds you to celebrate your 20th year on Earth instead of wishing it would go faster. And hey, if that doesn’t work, there are only 364 days until you're 21!