This long, strange trip has nearly come to its end-and what a trip it's been. I've been at Amherst College since September of 1997; it pains me to say that I've stayed here as long as possible. This December, in a cloudy, unnoticed ceremony, my time here will have passed. Oh, help me deal with this depression, this fear of what has gone and what is still to come!

-Lamenting in Leland

Dear Lamenting,

Often, with autumn's advent, we find ourselves preoccupied with thoughts of death and fading away. As each year passes, we shed another layer, drudging slowly toward the melancholy end, which we will meet in all too short a time. But, Lamenting, I implore you to contemplate one thing before making your dive into reality: You are in the spring of your life. I eventually drifted into winter, but I lived with absolute vivacity before my leaves grayed and fell upon the bitter ground.