17

On your 16th birthday you can drive. On your 18th, you can vape. Both are important milstones, but what about 17? Save being a dancing queen, little happens when you turn 17. I celebrated my 17th with a small bonfire in my back garden, out by a creek, surrounded by friends and s'mores and hammocks. There was one moment when we were all huddled around the fire. It was dark by then, the only light coming from the flickering dying embers. There were no phones out, no photos being taken, everyone was simply invested in the moment. Then a guitar was pulled out, and a sing-along ensued. Soft songs, easy melodies, hushed voices. We were all in sync, in harmony. I've never felt more connected to a group of people and I doubt I ever will. I will forever remember that moment, and would return to it in a heartbeat.