Being a college senior is awful because, for the first time in my life, I feel both too young and too old. 

Freshmen vex me. Meanwhile, most of the friends I’ve made here have already left. I need to start paying a mortgage, but I don’t really know what one is yet. Worst of all, I’m closer to having kids than I am to being one. 

When does youthful existentialism turn into a quarter-life crisis? I don’t know, but I’m getting there. 

The main thing keeping me sane as I toe the edge of the nest is that, as long as young people have existed, this feeling has accompanied them. 

Youth is — other than death — the most powerful, heart-breaking, universal equalizer out there. First kisses, first jobs, and first days of adulthood have always been this nerve-wracking and raw.

When I feel like crying so hard that my lungs give way, I know I can call up my parents or talk to the Doctors Stoneman and, even if they’ve forgotten just how scary it is in the moment, I know they’ve felt this way, too. And they’re OK, so we will probably be OK. 

Talk to your parents. It’s easier to like them when you’re not under their roof, and they don’t want you to mess up adulthood either. 

Talk to your professors. They might be the smartest collection of people you’ll ever be around. 

As personal as this feels right now, the burden of age affects everyone. Let the hands of successful adults prop you up as you navigate the terrifying state of your mid-20s.