Now that we have voted, we can pat ourselves on the collective back. See, it doesn’t even matter whether your candidate took the biscuit. What’s important is that you are now, for lack of a better word, relevant.

You know those stories you hear from elderly folk about how they participated in some sort of monumental event, like say, walking to school ten kilometers away? Well, you can proudly say you walked to your polling station, and what’s even cooler here is the fact that when YOU walked, something that affected the millions of people happened. Not just your village.

If, like me, you happened to get your nail marked by some clearly overqualified official at the polling station, you know by now that you will never have to invest in nail polish again. As I type this, I’m looking at my thumb and wondering which excuse I can use to get out of a tight spot when being quizzed about accessorizing my nails. It’s down to;

·         I wanted to see what being Gothic feels like

·         I am embracing Henna as an alternative lifestyle option

I’m not going to sit here and pretend that the social scene will stay the way you left it before dipping your hand in that basin and placing tick against face…or for the more hands-on among you, thumb against mug. Wherever you go out, at least one person will ask whether you voted. A slightly lower number of interrogators will be willing to buy you a drink basing on your answer. Plus, your confidence can grow in leaps and bounds now. Seeing as it’s the post election period, there is no such thing as the ‘right answer’ to that question.

On the flip side, you can expect the number of people you have been popular with to wane drastically. You may not know it, but part of your appeal stemmed from the belief that you were a young person. That stain on your finger will work against you, in which case, now would be as good a time as any to invest in some nail polish remover or band-aid.

Also, there will be a spike in the number of people that believe that you have an opinion to share. Trust me, there’s nothing as frustrating as having people look up to you for insight and depth. Then again, I think the issue here is revealing that your elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top.

Such is life, it’s not all rainbows and skittles (ha, the henna lifestyle thing starts to rear its hideous influence), but look on the bright side, the president finally got you to listen to him.