The Real Moments
These past two weekends I celebrated my 21st birthday, something that I probably always looked forward to since the age of eighteen or so. But, I'll be honest--I did not feel as excited as I approached the date. It's really interesting to me, looking back on how I used to celebrate my birthdays and the way I had this "go big or go home" mentality. I think that mindset ended after my freshman year of college, when I realized how this kind of mindset lacked purpose and meaning, something I value very highly now.Heading into the month of February, I felt a sense of dread, dreading that I was turning 21 (yes, I was shocked too). Dreading that I felt expectations to go all out for this milestone birthday. The reality is, I don't like to be the center of attention (although I'm sure there are plenty of people that think I do), to have a big crowd mob with me to a club, to have photos that looked like I had the time of my life, when I really didn't. That has never been my kind of lifestyle, which is part of why I felt as though I couldn't resonate with this milestone birthday.For me personally, I have always been a person of meaning. I like to live and do things with a purpose, because this is where I truly find fulfillment in my life. And the moment I discovered that Kaskade would be performing at the very moment I turn twenty-one, I screamed for so much joy in my kitchen that my roommate thought something was wrong. I mean to me, it felt like it was meant to be (lol, I'm just that obsessed with his music).Funny enough, this other weekend I was actually out celebrating for a friend's 21st birthday, but I just happened to be turning 21 at midnight on the evening of her celebration. So to be honest, I disregarded my own celebration completely. I came in with the expectation of likely not being able to see Kaskade and would simply drive home after the dinner. Boy did low expectations make life so much greater that night...At some point, I ended up on stage with the artist himself. May I add that Kaskade shares a birthday with me, so we were both celebrating our birthday at midnight. But WOW, the feeling of hearing some of my all-time favorite songs live, right next to the artist himself, on my fucking 21st birthday--this was an unreal experience. I mean...I literally came in with expectations of not being able to get in because I wasn't officially "21" yet. And then THAT happened.Music has always been a very strong passion of mine. To experience that on a night of a "milestone" birthday, was truly the best way to ring in the real ID life. Even better, I actually took zero pictures that night, although I wish I took like one, lol. But, this moment, outdid everything else I could have asked for. So thank you, to Kaskade, everyone I met that night, great friends, for making a night I thought would be meaningless, to be one of the most memorable and beautiful moments of my life.Cheers to 21.xxFavorite Kaskade Songs:- Atmosphere- Show of Hands- Nobody Like You- Us- A Little More- Something Something- Raining (The OG song that had me hooked on to house music and Kaskade)