Dear 14 Year Old Me,

I know you're going through a hard time. You're hitting a few bumps in the road. Well, more than a few. That's okay. You're going to be okay.

You're so preoccupied with your image, the ways in which people look at you and perceive you. You're letting it consume you. You don't think you're beautiful. In three years, you'll finally start feeling like you are.

In four years, you'll know it.

I wish you knew it from the start, but the important thing is that you eventually will.

Friends are going to leave. Some will give you reasons and some won't. Some of the friends you have now are not actually your friends. You'll unmask their facades in due course. It won't be pleasant, but it will be necessary and for your own good.

I know middle school is rough, and high school won't be any easier. The poor and uncalculated decisions you're making right now are really going to affect you for the rest of your life, but you're not able to see that yet. I don't blame you. I don't. I wish I could protect you, but I'm a little too late.

Not all of this is your fault. Actually, a good chunk of it isn't. Life is rigged with obstacles. You're facing them now, and you will face them for the rest of your life. But you'll get better, stronger, smarter, and more resilient. Life's really hazy for you right now. Your vision's blurred, but you'll find a way out. You'll find clarity. It'll take a while, but you will.

You're going to meet some amazing people. People who are going to change that negative perception you currently have of the world and turn it into something beautiful, vivid, and real. They'll teach you how to appreciate the best parts of life and to find meaning in the things that you are overlooking. You're going to move past all the labels you think you are cursed with and realize they don't make you any less of a person. You're going to find yourself. You're going to find me. I promise.

But for now, stay strong. Remarkable things are headed your way. To name a few, you've already met your best friend for lifetimes to come, you just don't know it yet. You're going to go to college and thrive. You're going to write more than you ever have in your entire life. You're going to face your fears, and then some. You're going to smile more. You're going to heal.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel you're in. You'll see it one day. You can't miss it, it's so damn bright.

I'll see you soon.

Love,

You