Dear Me,

Hey how's it going past me? It's you but I’m from later in time. I don't really know where I am going to go with this letter, but I hope it gives you the advice that you need. Maybe if time travel or something is real and you are somehow reading this, I hope I don't spoil anything for you in high school. So let's just get right into this thing.

High school started out all as a blur. You're trying to find out who you are, who your friends are, what you want to do with your life, whether you should pack or buy lunch, or doing something stupid and consider running track. Yeah, you actually considered running track instead of musical theatre. Man was that a huge joke.

Freshman year was all fun and games. You were new to the school and you didn't really care about the things happening around you. You had one of your first real relationships and everything was smooth sailing. You didn't care about the future, you were just happy with what was happening in the present. Boy was that just the very beginning of it all.

Sophomore year was a huge punch in the face. You felt hopeless, lost, and just sad all the time. You lost someone in your life that was important to you. You got out of your relationship, and you just wanted the year to be over with. Life was just one huge obstacle for you. That year you realized who was there for you and who wasn't. You also realized that you need to take care of yourself. It was a realization that it is okay to put yourself first before taking care of others. Though the year sucked, you learned a very valuable lesson.

Junior year was probably the best year for you. You got medicine for your anxiety, you had fun with your friends, you won an award for theatre, qualified for nationals for ITS, wrote an awesome paper on Toy Story, you did well with your classes and SATs, and everything was great. You didn't give a damn about anything and you just did what was best for you. Yeah there were some bumps in the road, but man if I could relive any year of high school it would be junior year. That year was freaking banging. It was the littest of lit (yes I just said that and I am proud). If you're going to enjoy any year of high school, make sure it is junior year. Also, don't waste your money on taking the SAT 3 times. Your first score was the best one. Don't try for the super score.

Ah, senior year. You are almost at the finish line, yet you are slowly running out of gas to keep yourself going. Yeah, you have early leave practically everyday at 12:30, but it still feels rough. The rehearsals, the yelling, the ongoing threats of school shootings, the anxiety, the college application process, just everything. You just want to enjoy your last year, but it's hard. You feel as though no matter what decision you make it is always a wrong one. Fear not my friend, for you finally understand the true meaning of standing up for yourself. You tried quitting the musical when things were not fair, you showed people that your mental health is more important to you than anything, and you did what you had to do. You said what you felt was right when things were going wack. You met the girl of your dreams. You got into the college you wanted to go to. You did what you had to do to make yourself feel happy. This was the year of standing up for yourself. You probably don't understand what I mean if you aren't a senior yet, but you will. Don't let people push you around. It is not worth the feeling of anxiety and depression.

Graduation comes and you're done. You feel like a new chapter is beginning and everything is changing. You're not wrong, but you will stay in touch with the people who meant a lot to you in high school. You will meet new people. You will have fun at college. You will still keep music and theatre in your life. Don't be afraid of change man. You've always been afraid of change and you can't be like that because that is what life is. Life is always changing whether you realize it or not. Things won't always be the same and the people will not always stay in your life. That's okay though. Everyone goes through it.

Keep your head up man. You have a great future ahead of you with a lot of amazing people in it. You really have nothing to worry about. Just try your best and keep being you. I'll see you sometime soon (that's if time travel is real). Peace.

Your Friend,

Al

P.S.

Keep the YouTube videos going. NEVER give up on that. It's what you keeps going.