Dear little Meg,
Take a seat and listen up little one. It’s your 19-year-old self & I’m here to give you a little heads up for your next four years of high school. Trust me & hear me out:
First off, the kids in your class are not going to be the same people that you knew in 8th grade. They will change and they will change a lot. Just know that now. I don’t know what happens during the summer after 8th grade and you will never be able to figure it out either, so don’t waste your time trying. Don’t try to please any of them because it’s literally impossible. There will be dinners, parties, and the occasional sleepover that you won’t be invited to. You will also have this “floating stage” during your freshman and sophomore year where you’re going to try and find your group, but you’ll never really find a good fit for you. Be the good person that you have always been and the right people will show up and stay there. Trust me on this one.
You are also going to try and be there for every single person in your life, but it’s impossible. I know you don’t believe me right now. (*Cue the eye roll*) You think that you have to fix every little thing, but you can’t, Meg. This lesson is going to slap you really hard in the face during junior year. You’re going to end up spreading yourself way too thin and pretty soon you’ll be putting all the blame on yourself for things that you have no control over. So, stop it. You are your first priority. I am still trying to learn this. It won’t happen overnight. It’s a process.
Friendships are going to come and go and sometimes it’s going to really suck. Like, really suck. Again, you will always blame it on yourself, but you can’t do that. There will be awkward exchanges in the hallway and eyes that roll from here to China, and there will be absolutely nothing you can do about that. Remember: quality over quantity. Always. You won’t even meet your closest friend until the end of your junior year, so until then, let the other ones go when they want to go. Everything happens for a reason.
Some of your teachers are going to become more like your best friends than most of the kids in your class and that’s okay. Also, don’t think that you are ever bothering them when you need to talk about something that’s going on. If you need to talk, walk into their room and tell them that. They don’t bite. I’ve learned that they are great listeners and will do anything they can to help.
The pressure you put on yourself to get good grades during all your four years will be ridiculous. Be proud of your accomplishments, even the smallest ones, and learn from your mistakes. Again, that's all you have control over.
Your full four years in tennis (yeah, I was surprised it was that long, too) will be fun, but nothing too exciting. Stick it out while you sit on those bleachers and enjoy watching your teammates kill it out there on the court. The friendships made will always come before the score of your matches, at the end of the day.
If you don’t want to do something, don’t do it just because everyone else thinks it’s a good idea. From my experience, they will be the ones that will be facing consequences and you will have a completely clear conscience.
You’re going to worry a lot in these next 4 years. It will be an unhealthy amount and people are going to start to worry about you because of it. You will worry about grades, friends, and basically any other little thing that could possibly go wrong, but never end up happening. You tend to become really friendly with the worst case scenario. I can now sit here and laugh about so many of them. You are going to be okay. And if you don’t feel okay, don’t hold it in. It’s okay not to be okay sometimes. Talk to someone. Sometimes all you will need is someone to listen. Get it out and keep on chugging, my dear girl.
Never, ever, ever, take the good people in your life for granted. They are in your life because they want to be there. You're not bugging them, bothering them, or upsetting them by having them in your life. That small group of people will always be there for you and you’re going to realize during your senior year that they are there to stay. Thank them often and always appreciate the things that they do for you.
Well Megan, that’s all I’ve got for you right now. I hope you will listen to some of these things and take them to heart because I have lived through all of it. Be proud of who you are and know that I’ll be there with you every step of the way. You’re going to be just fine, kiddo.
With love,
19-year-old Megan
