Hey!
You probably don’t believe that you would actually write yourself a letter because you think that every single night of college looks like a "One Tree Hill" party, but just like a bunch of other things, you’re wrong. Before you freak out, please breathe because these are absolutely not the *best* days of your life. These days are important, but you have no idea how many cool things are coming. I love you, and I can’t wait for you to see all of the things that are about to happen. I just want to tell you a few things that looking back now, I wish I would have known.
I’ll start off with some quick fixes, because no one else is going to tell you the truth until you’re way older. I’ll try to spare you that roast. You need to relax with the self-tanner, you look like a walking cheeto and it really isn’t the sun-kissed glow that you think it is. The “chunky highlights” that you and your friends attempted to put in your hair are going to haunt you forever. Please, I am begging you, do not take another duck-faced, mirror selfie. In a few years, you will be deleting all of those from all of your social media sites anyway and it will be embarrassing. Another update, makeup is supposed to make you look like a hotter version of yourself, not to make you look like someone else entirely. You’re doing it wrong, and the blue eyeshadow isn’t subtle enough for everyday wear. One more thing, the “pouf” hairstyle will not ever look good on your face shape, and you will be mortified that you rocked it so hard when you look back on pictures of you right now.
OK, now on a more serious note, Mom and Dad are absolutely always right. I know, everyone says this and you roll your eyes, but it’s true. Please don’t try to lie to them, they always know the truth anyway. Mom will know that you’re not actually “going for a run” when you’re not home and it’s 6 a.m.. She will also know that you just didn’t make it home from the party that you “didn’t” go to last night. When you skip school with your friends to get Friendly’s, Dad absolutely knows about it, but he loves you, so he won’t bring it up until you’re older and you can laugh about it. Don’t abuse this leniency. Mom and Dad love you a lot, and I know they get on your last nerve sometimes because “they just don’t understand." Believe me when I tell you, no one will ever understand you more.
You’ll make mistakes. You’re going to crash Dad’s car, and you’re going to be convinced that he’ll kill you but he doesn’t. You’ll get a C in a class and again, they want to kill you but they won’t. When Dad asks you to take the dog for a walk with him, just go. I don’t care who’s texting you, and I definitely don’t care that you’re going to miss the newest episode of "Pretty Little Liars" (you stop watching after a while because they take forever to find A), go to the grocery store with your mom. Let them embarrass you with a million pictures on your birthday and the first day of school. Let your mom help you get ready for all of the dances, it means more to her than you know. Sure you’re close with your parents, but you have no idea what’s coming. When you get to college, you call them every single day and tell them everything from what you ate for lunch, to what grade you got on your math exam.
Friends will come and go. You will find great people and you’ll definitely run into some duds, but be thankful for all of them. Some of your friends are really going to do you wrong, and you’re going to mess things up with a few of them, but you will learn different things from each one. You will learn what kind of person you want to be and who you definitely don’t want to be. You’ll have great times, you’ll go to parties, bonfires and football games and I really hope that you cherish all of it. Take pictures, make memories and don’t take anything too seriously. Make sure your friends know how much they mean to you. You will lose a few of them before graduation, some of them will come back, some of them won’t and some of them will no longer be with us. Be safe and don’t let your friends do anything that could get them hurt.
You’ll fall in love and it’ll be amazing. You’ll think that he is the moon and the stars and it’ll change your whole world. You’ll drive around together in his car, you’ll be inseparable and prom will be wonderful. It’ll be great for a long time, but when it ends, you will get your heart broken. I know how horrible you feel, and even years later I can tell you, the first one hurts the worst. I can promise though, you do get over it. When you get to college, you meet so many people, and you fall in love with yourself. You learn about feminism and what it means to be independent, and I’ll just say it, you become somewhat of a badass. I promise, you do fall in love again and it’s better than before. Just wait, it’s worth it. You are worth it.
The SATs matter so that you get into the college of your dreams, but they don’t matter at all after that. Try not to stress out too much. You make it through high school in one piece, and you really will stay in touch with the people who are the closest to you. Enjoy yourself, be smart and don’t be afraid to try it all. I can’t wait to see you again, in the mirror in a few years. I love you so much!
XO,
(a way cooler version of) Yourself
