being 25 is like: im dying. im living my best life. im a failure. my life hasnt started. everything interesting has already happened to me. im achieving my dreams. im cutting my hair with kitchen scissors. im starting a skincare routine. im a corporate professional. im a sellout. im out of groceries. i have too many groceries. i am never going to be successful. i am going to win a hugo award before im 30. im crazy. im boring. i need to finish this essay. i need to finish this story. i need to start a newsletter. i need to start tweeting more. i need to stop tweeting. i need to ghost all my friends. i need to tell my friends i love them. i need to find a new apartment. i need to take out the trash. i am the trash that needs to be taken out.Â
Being 25 is also not knowing whether people consider you old or young. A lot of accommodations and exceptions no longer apply after you hit 25. I can no longer get a discount when I go to the museum. But, I no longer have to pay an extra fee when I rent a car. If you went to college, then you would have been out of school for 3 years already (unless youâve chosen to go to grad school or professional school). In which case, if youâre still in school, then youâre even more at a loss for how âoldâ you should feel. Youâre still a student, but youâre expected to be competent and somewhat experienced in life. Youâre older than the typical 18-22 year old college student. Some people you know are getting married and no one bats an eye because 25 is a perfectly mature age to get married and have kids at. Your parents met and got married at this age. Started a family at this age. But at the same time, you still have friends living with their parents. Heck, youâre still living with your parents. Am I still young? Am I old now? How do younger people see me? Am I too old for them? How do older people see me? Will my mistakes still be forgiven? Am I still allowed that margin of error to mess up sometimes, or am I no longer allowed to make mistakes because I should know better at this age?Â
