Dear high school me,

If I could sit down with you and give you life advice, the one thing I would make sure to say over and over is, "It gets better." I know, you've heard it a million times, but it really is true. The folks who say high school will be the best four years of your life are off their rocker. If that were true, it would be a sad day indeed. Sure, there will be memories that you'll treasure forever, but also some you'll wish you could forget. Just remember that when all seems lost, it does get better and you Do get through it.

You will make mistakes. You'll think you have got it all figured out, and when things fall apart it will feel like the world is ending. You will be a bad friend, sad but true. You'll do things and say things that hurt people, but you will learn from these mistakes, you'll apologize, and you'll do better next time. You will like boys a little too much, and some will leave you broken. It will be during these heartbreaks that you'll be reminded of who your true friends are (hint: they are the ones bringing you ice cream). You will make bad decisions and miss out on opportunities because of them but despite all these things, it will be okay.

High school may not be for you what it is for others. You may not have that group of friends who you spend every second with, you may only have one really good year, and in others you may just have to lean on you friends outside your school hallways. There is value in friendships with people who go to other schools. You may not be popular enough to be voted into student council, but that's OK; you'll discover other passions. There may be people who bully you or tear you down, but you are better than that and worth more than that, don't forget it.

High school will be a time of discovering who you are. It will be where you dream big and hope for a better tomorrow. High school will leave you in tears from crying and in tears from laughing too hard. High school is a roller coaster. High school will teach you to respect yourself because you are worth respecting. High school will be a place of growth both spiritually, intellectually and socially.

it's OK to not know what you're doing, and it's OK to feel lonely. Just remember that there's never a time where you're truly alone. There will always be people who love and treasure you even among your biggest mistakes -- your parents are some of those people. I promise that they are just as cool as all your friends say they are, you just don't see it yet.

High school is an adventure but love, just wait till college!

All my love,
Your older, cooler, slightly wiser, broke self.