The answer to how to approach your twenties lies between Plath and Didion. Everything you do is irrevocable, because time is finite, which means your choices matter. So you have to choose a fig. You cannot sit “in the crotch of this fig tree starving to death.” But choosing one fig does not cause all the others to instantly fall from the tree. If you realize you’ve chosen the wrong fig—and I mean as soon as you realize, because your twenties are shorter than you think—go back to the tree and pluck another. And another. And another. Until you’ve found the right one. With each successive fig, you will learn more about what you want and don’t want, and you will get closer to the right fig. I am not saying pick a fig you know isn’t right, because it will be fun or easy and you can always pick more.2 I am saying finding the right fig might take a long time, so you need to start picking thoughtfully right away. You need to be honest with yourself about the choices you’ve made and whether they’re working for you. …