Well. I did it.

I got my license. I took the leap. Yes, I'm 21 years old. Yes, I just got my license... a few hours ago.
I got my first (yes, as in I had more than one) learner's license, and I let it expire. Never took the test, barely even drove anywhere. A few years after the first had expired, I got another one. But the DMV never sent me a hard copy, so my last one expired months and months ago. I still never drove.
It scared me, honestly. So many things could happen while you were operating a motor vehicle, and thinking about all of those things made me really nervous. I would sweat and forget obvious things like where my blinkers were when I sat in the driver's seat. The past few years of my life have been really hard. I couldn't drive myself anywhere, I always needed to be picked up or driven somewhere, like a child. In short, I had dreaded this day for years. The day that I really needed to get a license, for my own (and other's) sanity. I was always... well, stuck, for lack of a better term. If neither of my parents were home, I was going nowhere during the summer.

But today... today was... good. My mom and I went to the DMV (got there about 4pm), and found out that apparently my appointment has been at 3:40, not 4:30. Luckily, they didn't just tell me leave and told me to wait. I filled out the paper work, waited about 30 minutes. Then my number was called. I got a sick feeling in my gut, what if I screwed up? Luckily the first time (yes, there was more than once) they called me up it was only to get my paper work and take my picture. The women and I bonded (sort of) about date stamps and how they make our jobs so much easier. I was told to sit down and wait until I was called. I sat. I waited.

Another 20 minutes later the woman told me to meet her around back. My heart leapt into my stomach, what if I screwed up? She wanted to check my brake lights. And then we were off. The test was a bunch of "turn here", "turn left at the stop sign", you know the deal. I surprised myself by making small talk- maybe it was the nerves? I pulled into the DMV parking lot fully expecting her to tell me I failed (though I did nothing that warranted a fail). She said I passed. I passed? Wait. What. I PASSED? I was in awe. I jokingly told the women I would need to get ice cream afterward to celebrate. She laughed, I laughed. I text my mother and walk around the building, smiling. I'm sure there was a small spring in my step.
And here I am now, drinkin' a Crispin and blogging about it. I became an adult today. I mean, before I could still buy alcohol and lottery tickets, but now... now I can drive anywhere. I don't need to wait until someone isn't busy, I can just... go.