Dear Younger Self,
There is so much I wish someone had told me when I was growing up, like you're not going to impress everyone and your crushes sometimes actually crush you. This world is huge, but you do not need to understand everything about it. Here are just a few important things I wish some one had to told me before turning eighteen.
1. You are still considered a child, so stop thinking you need to take care everyone.
Learn to also put yourself first. Please stop trying to rush things and enjoy being a kid. Go run through a sprinkler, climb a tree, or dance in the rain. Being an adult isn't as pretty as it seems. You have plenty of time to worry about getting to work in five minutes when you have over slept or how you are going to pay your car insurance. Enjoy the little things in life because God knows how long we have to enjoy them. Go sniff the roses even if they are from the supermarket.
2. Believe it or not, your parents are cooler than you think.
You're going to miss all those times they embarrassed you on your way to school and the kisses on the forehead. They are just trying to show you their love towards you in their own weird but loving way. They give you so much more than material things. Start listening to all their life lessons instead of sticking headphones in your ears. At the end of the day, they will be there by your side when you have a broken heart and have no buckets of ice cream to drown you pain in.
3. Please, and I mean please, stop stressing about finding love.
Those guys from middle school that you thought you needed to date ended up working in Burger King. Don't worry, they bang their heads against the walls for not dating you in middle school. It's okay to single like a pickle. You are not going to die or be less cool if you're single. Do not go around thinking that you need to change yourself for a guy. Everything comes at its own time, so don't stress about it.
4. Not all people are meant to stay in your life forever.
Friends come and go, don't sweat about it. You will learn that some people were your friends only because you saw them everyday. Some people will try to take advantage of your kindness, so learn to defend yourself. At the end of the day you will become friends with the people you thought you never would. They will listen to all your latest crushes, wait hours to see your favorite band, and get tacos with you at 2AM.
5. Love yourself and everything else will come.
Be kind to yourself, because if you aren't, who else will? You do not have to disvalue yourself to impress others. I want you to know that you are important and worth it. You are more than just a label. You are not ugly, too skinny, fat, too short or too tall. Your dreams are never too big or ridiculous. You will fall in love with yourself more each day.
6. I want you to know that you will okay.
