I was going through boxes of old things this weekend, and I found a notebook that I wrote in when I was like five or six.

The spelling was horrific, the handwriting was terrible, and the content was…questionable. For the most part, it was filled with stupid crushes on boys and weird jokes that I did not get. It was filled with “fights” I had with my friends and movies that I went to go see. There was a memorable three-page review of the first "Pokémon" movie that honestly had me cringing the whole time.

What struck me the most though, was a list of “reminders” that I had written to myself. Some of them were silly, some of them were about homework and teachers that I promised to hate for the rest of forever – I’m going to skip those here - but most of them were… surprisingly eye-opening. So, I thought I would share these reminders now.

Here are nine things my younger self-wanted me to remember.

1. Always watch “The Year Without a Santa Claus” with mommy and daddy.

This is one of those things that I’ve been doing since I was too little to remember. Every Christmas, my parents and I sit down, attempt to figure out the VHS, and watch “The Year Without a Santa Claus.” Some of my purest, happiest memories come from these days and I think its something that can go beyond watching a cheesy Christmas movie with my parents. Remembering to spend time with my family, in general, is something I haven't been as good at since I started being an "adult" and I really need to.

2. Stop caring about what Emma thinks.

Emma’s name has been changed, and I honestly don’t remember why I needed to stop caring about what she thought of me, but I think my younger self was on to something here. I have often cared too much about what other people think of me. It’s such a natural thing to do as you grow older. You start caring about what your peers think of you, what teachers think of you, what total strangers think of you. I’d be much better off if I just forgot to care about that for a little bit.

3. Remember that you love snow.

I think this was meant to be a funny thing – I wrote this during December, according to the date on the page (apparently I didn't like adding the year at that point) and my dad was complaining about how he had to drive in the snow to work (I know this because he does this every December) and I was told that I would start disliking the snow when I was finally able to drive in it.

As it turns out, I have started to dislike the snow now that I can drive in it, but my younger self still knew what she was talking about. I need to start taking pleasure in the little things again. Something as simple as seeing a blanket of white on the ground used to be enough to bring a smile to my face, and I would be on cloud nine for the rest of the day. I need to look at the world through that lens every once in a while, again.

4. Keep smiling.

I smiled almost all the time when I was little. For no reason, most of the time, other than it made people around me happy. I find myself not smiling as much anymore, mainly because it’s just hard. Like, there’s a lot to not smile about in the world right now. But, just starting the day out smiling can really change your mood around, and I’m going to start implementing this in my day more often again.

5. Don’t fail school.

I know exactly why I wrote this at five or six. I was planning on being a lawyer – I snuck downstairs and watched a lot of “Law and Order” at this age. This was probably not the best show to be watching this young, but it is what it is – and to be a lawyer, I knew that I had to go to law school. My idea of a dream job has changed a lot since I was five, but I think my younger self would be happy to know that I recently graduated – with honors – from college. So, I don’t think I did too bad for myself.

6. Don’t ever bully anyone.

Depending on when exactly I wrote this, one of my best friends was either getting severely bullied or was dealing with the aftermath of that, and I remember thinking how difficult that was for her. “Bullying” now is a lot worse than simply calling someone a “meanie” during recess, but it’s a reminder we can all use from time to time. I’ve never bullied anyone in my life, but there are times when I’ve been meaner than necessary, and I need to rethink that sometimes.

7. You’ll find your prince.

I was a big fan of Disney movies at this age – I’m still a big fan of Disney movies – and I was huge on the idea that one day, my life would be exactly like a Disney movie. So far, this has not happened, and boys are kind of terrible sometimes, but that doesn’t mean that I should stop looking or become jaded to the idea of love. After all, I have a 5-year-old to prove right.

8. Don’t forget to read.

I know I wasn’t able to read fully by myself at this age. Like, I could read, but I was often going to my mom to ask her what a word was and what it meant. But I’m glad that my 5-year-old self was able to appreciate a good book, and I’m glad that reading is something I’ve kept up with over the years because it’s nice to lose yourself in a world that doesn’t exist every once in a while.

9. Be happy.

I was nothing if not blunt when I was growing up. This is the one that struck me the most though. I was so sure, writing this at five or six years old, that I would never encounter anything that could break me too badly. This was mainly because I was a terribly stubborn child and nothing up to that point had been to traumatic in my life time.

Little did I know all the obstacles I was about to face. My grandpa’s death, high school, college, and more. But I’ve also bounced back from all of those things. I’ve risen to the challenge every time and I’ve come out stronger…and happier for it. I may not be as blissfully, ignorantly happy as I was as a 5-year-old, but I am happy with who I am now, and ultimately, that’s all I can ask for. And I think that’s all my younger self wanted for me as well.