Hi Megan.

It’s you. From the future. I’m (we’re?) twenty now. I’ve been an adult for two years now, so I’d like to think I’ve learned a few things. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share them with you.

I know, obviously, that you will never read this. I don’t have a time machine. I can’t actually go back into the past and talk to you, and even if I could, I probably wouldn’t. I’ve been watching too much Doctor Who lately, so I know what I’m talking about. Don’t worry. You’ll start watching it in a year or so too, and then you’ll see what I mean.

Anyway, even though I know you will never read this, I’m still going to write it. Maybe future us will find it in the Internet archives and we’ll laugh about it.

So. You’re in Middle School.

We did not have the stereotypical infamous Middle School experience, I know. We were never maliciously bullied. We never had a boyfriend. There wasn’t excessive drama.

Still, I know that Middle School is hard.

But you know what? Here’s a secret.

You’re going to grow up, and things are still going to be hard.

I realize that this sounds terribly cold and not at all encouraging. I apologize for that. I do not mean it to be. In fact, I want to encourage you.

Life is never easy. In the next couple years of your life, you’re going to lose your friends. You are going to fall out of touch with the people you are friends with now. You are going to make new friends. You are going to have incredible experiences. You are going to get into college. You are going to make mistakes. You are going to learn that making mistakes is okay.

Most importantly, Megan, you are going to learn to be yourself.

Middle school is awkward. I know, I remember. You want to fit all the stereotypes. You desperately want to be in a relationship. You want to be liked and you want to be beautiful.

But you know what? You are beautiful. People really do like you. And in a few years, you’ll stop seeking validation from a romantic relationship and realize that you are just fine on your own.

I also want you to enjoy yourself. You may look back and cringe on some of the things you are saying and doing now, but I wouldn’t change a thing. All of the things you are doing now are shaping you into me. I wouldn’t be myself if it wasn’t for you.

So it’s okay to like Twilight, even if you realize later that maybe those books weren’t so awesome. It’s okay to dedicate hours to learning fictional languages. It’s okay to cry over the Lord of the Rings and write terrible fan fiction in your notebook. It’s okay to be confused about who you are supposed to be. You don’t have to have everything figured out yet. If it helps, I’m twenty and I still don’t know what my future will look like.

I hope you know that I love you for all of your flaws and your mistakes and the embarrassing stories you will write. I love that you’re learning. I love that you grow up and become me.

You’re going to be okay, kid.

I promise.

Love,

Your Future Self