Arguing with myself

Look, I've been out of high school nearly four years. I'm going to graduate from college a year late because of a combination of reasons (not all my credits transferred, my school has an insane liberal arts load that I must complete, etc). And I've found peace in that. I would have had to kill myself to graduate just a semester late, so stretching it out into another year will do a lot for my peace of mind. I can find a part-time job while I take classes and save money and take time to figure out job options for when I'm graduated. I feel like this is the best decision I can make.

And yet, I feel like a failure. I see so many people I went to high school with who are already married and/or have kids, and who have decent jobs and their own houses. And I feel like a loser for being single and childless, devoid of any job prospects at the moment, and I'm definitely not moving out on my own any time soon. I know I shouldn't compare myself to other people, because what works for them may not work for me. Even if I had a boyfriend, I wouldn't want to get married before I finished school. I'm DEFINITELY not prepared to be a mother right now. And I'm saving money by living with my sister when I'm not in the dorms.

I guess I'm just afraid that I'll run into people I haven't seen in years, and they'll judge me for all of the above. And I KNOW that feeling insecure by people I went to high school with is something that I should have left behind in high school. But knowing this and convincing myself to believe this are two different things.

God, writing this all out makes it seem so trivial! I'm 22! If you had asked me five years ago where I would be now, I would have been completely wrong. Who's to say where I'll be when I'm 27? Or 37 or 47? I will (hopefully) have many more years of life left. In the long run, is it going to matter that I graduated college at 23 instead of 22? I doubt it. As for marriage and kids, I may never get there, but that doesn't mean I won't be happy. I'll find a path that's right for me, even if it's different from everyone else around me, even if it takes some time.