Hi, Karen Feeding listeners, it's Elizabeth. We're off today for the holiday, but wanted to make

sure you had something to listen to. So we're excited to share this episode from another Slate

show, How To, starring our friend Carvel's son. We think you'll love it. We'll see you

Thursday with a new episode, but until then, make sure you're subscribed to how to wherever you listen.

I don't know this is a generational thing or if this is a youth thing, but there's a lot of like,

my life is over. I can't do anything else. I'm ready to pack it up. From the outside, I'm like,

oh, this is so ridiculous. We're 21 years old. Like, how can you say your life is over?

But then I think about the fact that, like, the world is so confusing.

It's really frustrating to sit in the unknown.

Welcome to how to.

I'm Courtney Martin.

Do you remember how confusing, how totally frustrating it was to be 21 years old?

This is much longer ago for some of us than others, obviously. But even though I am twice that age, I remember the feeling of being 21 so vividly. I lived in this railroad apartment in

Brooklyn with my bestie, Christina, and my big brother, Chris. I had this horrible job as some

real estate tycoon's assistant. I remember sitting in her high-rise office in Midtown. She

smoked long skinny cigarettes while I tried to figure out how to do a mail merge.

There was other stuff I was trying to figure out too. I wanted to be a writer, but I was so far from it.

I was totally disillusioned with politics. And this may not surprise you, I was broke.

I wanted to hit fast forward on my life so freaking bad. And this may not surprise you. I was broke.

I wanted to hit fast forward on my life so freaking bad.

To zoom past mail merges and rejection letters from editors and to just like enjoy the good life.

Whatever that meant.

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