Hey, you!

Congratulations! You are 17, you are a senior, and you are so ready to get out of town.

If I am correct, you are getting ready to apply to colleges and to schedule auditions and to try your best not to freak out about the future. But this is me you’re talking to – you’re staying up all night with your stomach turning because you can’t see past this upcoming week! Have no fear, though, because I’m here to tell you that we survived, we’re surviving, and we are in for one hell of a ride.

So I know that you have had a few questions about senior year and college and life; keep in mind that we still have a lot of living to do, and that’s really hard to see at 17. I may need to shake off the cobwebs of what 17-year-old me would ask, but I think you’ll be pleased to know what I came up with.

Okay, so you’re first question was:

Am I going to survive AP Calculus?

Bluntly put, yes. You’re going to have a lot of nights where you’re thanking your stepdad profusely that he is an engineer and does Calculus for doodle work. Let me tell you though before you binge watch Mean Girls, sometimes the limit does indeed exist.

Am I going to go to the right college?

Oh my goodness, yes! From the moment you first stepped on Westminster’s campus last quarter it was love at first sight. Just keep your grades up, sing like crazy, and you’ll nail your application and audition, guaranteed.

Will I pick the right major?

You’re one of those rare cases where you did indeed pick the right major. But please know that it is perfectly okay to change your mind if you feel that you belong in another field. No major is particularly easy, but what you study is what you make of it. Change your mentality starting now about school work. Instead of dragging your feet about Calculus homework at 10:00 at night because musical rehearsal ran an hour late, go into your text book with the mindset of learning something new that will get you one step closer to where you are meant to be.

Am I going to stay in touch with my friends from high school?

I hate to break it to you, honey, but you won’t. At least not all of them. Some of your friends will turn out to be brats, and others will just get soaked up into the college life, just like you will. There is nothing wrong with that, but that is how life works, sometimes.

The same rules apply to the friends you make in college as well. God has a funny way of keeping the right people in your life, and turning away the ones who don’t help you become a better person. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to be alone for the rest of your life, but you are going to have to learn that life goes on with or without the people around you.

Is college harder than high school?

Yes and no. No, because you’re in an atmosphere of people with similar dreams and ambitions as you. Yes because the program you signed up for is a commitment. There will many days when you live on nothing but carbs and caffeine, but you will be amazed at the accomplishments you make while you are in school – which leads me to this question:

Will I be able to do everything I did in high school?

If you’re talking about plays, musicals, marching band, opera, jazz ensemble, and choir, then yes. Will you drive yourself insane trying to do it all? Absolutely! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Is it hard being away from home?

You and I both know that you can handle yourself on your own, but I will let you in a few things, since this is more personal. You are going to let go of a lot of significant people in your life. You will learn that it takes any guy to be a father, but it takes a special man to be a Dad. Even though you will join a sorority (spoiler alert! You’re going to be a sorority girl!), the most important sister in your life is the one who shares the same DNA as you. You will learn that some people that you love in life are not who you think they are. And since I know you better than anyone else, you are going to learn the hard way about that. There will be people who will question your decisions and eventually step out of your life because of it. But at the end of the day, YOUR decisions and YOUR worth are the most important. Never ever lower your standards for anyone. You're probably thinking I am being harsh, but the right people will come around and stick around if you are true to who you are and what you want the world to see in you.

Also, before I forget, give your grandmother a call. If you normally call her once a week, double that. Nag mom into taking the car and driving to see her but make sure it’s not the same time as her hair appointment… because we both know she will not be able to function otherwise!

And finally,

Where am I going to be after I graduate college?

First off, you are going to LOVE being a teacher. Music will always be a part of you but I am telling you, the moment you first walk into that classroom, you are going to miss it dearly when you leave. There will be kids who will love you, get annoyed by you, and will test your limits, but you are going to love the music they make at their final concert.

Now let’s back track to the nineties. Do you remember when you were little, how you wanted to be a singer in Nashville and you’d dance around in that red flowered dress and shades singing along to Reba, Shania, and Martina? The good news is, somehow, that dream you had when you were 5 is going to come true… It’s not how you think it will go, but I think you will be proud of the outcome, anyway. I still think Gramma had something to do with that, but I'll leave that to fate.

Of course there are going to be unexpected moments and unanswered prayers throughout the next four years, but just know that no matter what life throws at you, you have to keep swinging. You survived so far, you’re surviving now, and you’re in for one hell of a ride. Now go live it.

Love, Me.