Turning 21 During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Whenever I used to picture my 21st birthday, it usually involved a chic dinner, bar hopping with friends, and even, in my wildest dreams, a weekend getaway to a tropical island. Enter COVID-19…  

At the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, I began to slowly kiss away my dream 21st birthday celebration. Fast forward to now, days before the big day, my plans are entirely different than what I would have expected before the coronavirus existed. 

I grew up watching movies and TV shows that dramatized 21st birthdays and made them seem like the best and most important day of the character’s life. There’s a level of anticipation and expectation for a successful birthday that is hardly ever met. 

Instead of being sad and dwelling on the negatives, I have decided to focus on all the positive aspects of a COVID-19-stricken 21st. Instead of having a big party and going to all of the most popular bars in Boulder, I have decided to tone down the night a lot. Rather, I’ll celebrate with a smaller group of close friends, and as someone who hates being the center of attention, this is probably for the best. 

As opposed to kicking the day off with $0.99 mimosas at The Buff, my close friends and I are going to have a brunch at home. There is something about homemade pancakes that are so much better than the ones you get at a restaurant, especially when you have the luxury of deciding how many chocolate chips are added to your pancakes. 

I expect to make a ton of FaceTime and Zoom calls throughout the day with friends and family that are scattered across the country. One of the hardest things about going to school on the opposite side of the country is being away from my parents and childhood friends. This will now be the third birthday I celebrate away from my family. Each birthday, it has become traditional for my mother to “surprise” me with a cake delivery. Well, the first year, it was definitely a surprise. Now, I look forward to a baker showing up at my doorstep with a cake in hand. Last year, it was a huge red velvet cake from Boulder Baked. And as every Boulder native knows, Boulder Baked has the best cakes. 

The night will start with a COVID-19 safe dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in town, Bartaco, with my roommates who are coincidentally my best friends. After a drunken meal of way too many tacos, guacamole, and margaritas, we will most likely take the celebration back to our house to end the night. 

I used to think that my 21st birthday would be one of the biggest nights of my life. I have since realized that it is just a birthday. And while I couldn’t celebrate as they do in the movies, I have a lifetime of legal drunken nights without the fear of COVID-19 to make up for it. Welcome to the legal years…  

• 21+
• birthday
• Coronavirus