Not literally… If I actually felt like I did when i was 19, I’d be out there taking on the world instead of sitting in front of a keyboard at this hour, typing a blog post. instead, I rather feel like a hundred mousetraps going off at once when I rise in the morning and I’m still trying to explain how gravity seems to pull harder at my body for the first ten minutes of my morning or until I get that first, sweet kiss of caffeine. But I digress…
I was never one for drinking in my teen years, having consumed my first beer at the tender age of 23. The legal drinking age in Canada is 19, for those who may be from another country. Always the steadfast designated driver, it was hilarious for me to watch friends and counterparts try to purchase alcohol without presenting valid ID or using a fake one. You see this in movies as well, with a protagonist awkwardly and nervously walking up and trying to sound older while showing a fake ID in the hopes of walking out with a prized case of beer. Classic.
In later years, you’ll usually start hearing people say they miss being “carded,” or asked to show ID for things. Just recently, I saw a younger person (younger than me) get carded for the purchase of cigarettes at my local convenience store and they were flattered by the fact that the cashier thought they looked young enough to require being carded. The person was apparently of legal age (or had a fake ID), but it struck me that most people often feel a sense of disappointment that they’ve reached a point in their lives where they no longer NEED to prove that they aren’t too young.
This is why I find it entertaining that proof of vaccination and valid ID are required for most non-essential locations one tries to enter, these days. I can’t speak for everywhere but here in Saskatchewan, one needs to show proof of vaccination and valid matching ID for liquor stores, restaurants and a host of other locations, much to the dismay of many who feel they shouldn’t be obligated to do so. To each their own, I guess. People forget that they don’t HAVE to shop at specific locations and they don’t HAVE to attend or participate in events that stick you in the middle of large crowds.
What’s unfortunate is seeing how some grown-ass people react in the face of being asked to present these things. Besides the fact that you can go online and find videos from just about every conceivable source of people losing their absolute minds over the matter, which is ridiculous for a grown adult, one should know to pick their battles and be aware of what hill is worth dying on. I know that for the most part, when I’ve been asked for proof of vaccination and valid ID, I usually joke about how I was never carded at an age where I should have been so life is making up for it, now.
Humans are special creatures, to say the least. In a world of immediate gratification and entitlement, it’s amazing to see how many people are willing not only to suffer for their choices but cause suffering in others. It’s genuinely unfortunate. Hopefully, the year that comes will be better than the previous two. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 
This is becoming an increasing pet peeve of mine as well. I’ll give people that they have the right to make their own decisions, BUT they do NOT have the right to force the consequences of those choices onto others.
Don’t want to be vaccinated? Fine, self quarantine until you’re ready to rejoin the real world.
LikeLike
Agreed. Freedom of choice is one thing. Forcing your choice on others is not a “freedom.” Another fine example of how people are trying to die on a hill for “their rights” instead of “what’s right.’
LikeLike