Dear seventeen year old me,

This is a big moment for you. In about a month you’ll walk across a stage and receive the diploma you’ve literally been dreaming about since freshman year. You can’t wait to be done with high school forever and go to school far away from everyone you’ve ever met, and you should be, you’ve earned a little freedom. But before you put on that cap and gown and say hello to your new life, there are a few things I need to tell you. I know, I know, you’re super busy, and you have, like, so much to do before graduation, but trust me, you can spare five minutes to read this letter.

No, you’re not going to marry him, so stop stressing out.

Right now most of your thoughts revolve around whether or not you and your boyfriend are going to make it through four years of long distance. Let me save you a lot of stress and heartbreak and tell you right now: you won’t. Did you honestly expect anything different, though? I know you think he’s dreamy and that there is no other guy in the world as sweet as him, but he isn’t right for you, and deep down, you know that. I know you don’t believe me, though, and you’re going to keep dating him for as long as you can. So I will leave you with this, enjoy every moment you have together while you have it, but don’t forget about your friends. In a few years, they’re the ones you’re going to wish you spent more time with that summer.

Stop stressing about finding love at all.

Like I said, deep down, you know you and that boy aren’t meant to be, which means you spend way too much time day dreaming about what your future boyfriends will look like. Seriously, just stop. I’m not going to tell you how many dates you’ll go on or whether or not you’ll ever have a boyfriend again (I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise), but I will tell you that the best people come into your lives when you least expect it. When you stop focusing on how to make boys like you, and start focusing on the things that are most important to you, everything will fall into place.

You WILL get homesick.

You won’t ever admit it, especially not to your parents, but you will get homesick, and more than once. Don’t let that discourage you, though. Leaving Arizona was definitely the right thing to do for so many reasons, but no matter how far you run, you’ll always miss the people you left behind.

Not all people are meant to stay with you forever.

I know you love your friends with all your heart, and I don’t want you to ever lose that compassion. But some people just aren’t meant to stay. Four years from now the your group of friends, the people you love more than anyone else, is going to look a lot different than it does now. What’s funny is, you’ll become friends with all the kinds of people you never thought you would. You will still love your new friends with everything you have, but there will always be a piece of your heart reserved for the ones you love right now.

You have literally no idea what you’re doing with your life.

Oh boy, are you in for a wild ride. In the next few years you’ll change majors, change schools, change states, change jobs, change roommates and change boyfriends more times than I’d care to admit to you. I know that sounds scary to you, because you have a plan. Something weird is about to happen though, you’ll realize the more time you spend in the real world, the less your plan seems to make sense. I know you’d like me to draw you a road map of what the next five years will look like, but what fun would that be? Believe it or not, you’ll be okay; the change doesn’t hurt you too bad.

You’ll turn out to be exactly the kind of person you always hoped you’d be.

We did good, kid.