If I were seventeen, that would be a dream

Today in the lunch hall one of my 8th graders stopped me to say hello. "I'm fine," he told me, "it's just that my life is sinking into the pits of hell."

"That's okay," I replied, "You're just growing up. When you get there it'll be a lot more comfortable than you thought."

As I walked away, I realized I meant to comfort him. But he was probably not comforted.