You’re probably stressing out over some book report, a 20-question math assignment, or maybe you’re still in your freshman year, wondering how you’re going to make this huge map of the entire world with every country on it, all while trying to have a social life. But let me tell you, DON'T stress. Your work will get finished, you will get the good grade, and if you don’t, it's not the end of the world.
That grade may get you down, or the boy you like doesn't like you back, but I've lived it. Everything will work out. You'll also thank the stars that the boy you liked didn’t like you back, and you'll learn never to waste your time on someone that won’t give you their time. Never cry for that boy, don’t waste your tears and your makeup: Mascara is way too expensive, anyway.
There will be days when you just want to give up, throw in the towel, and you feel as though you're not enough, but you are. YOU ARE ENOUGH. Those dreams you've been dreaming? Fight for them, and don’t be afraid to stumble and fall, because when you get into that school you've been working so hard to get into, it will be the greatest feeling. You're close to becoming that person you've always dreamed of being.
Listen to your parents. If they tell you to be home by 11 p.m., be home by 11 p.m. If they tell you to clean your room, clean your room. Make your bed. When you’re alone at night in your small dorm room with that squeaky twin-size bed, you’ll miss making your bed at home and wish you were still in it. You’ll also miss your parents telling you what to do when you move away from home.
Enjoy your mom's home-cooked meals, because when you're living off of gross dining hall food or Easy Mac for 18 days straight because that’s all you can afford, you’ll wish you appreciated those meals your mama always made. Put your phone down and talk with your parents. Tell them, in person, how much you love them. Tell them about your day. Once you get to college, you won't be able to. You'll miss someone constantly wanting to know all these things.
Be kind to others and those who aren’t kind to you, and just remember you aren't them. Be the better person, and keep your head high, because this is your life. You are who you are, and nothing and no one can ever change that.
The rest of your life is waiting for you. Enjoy high school. It will fly by, and when it does, you’ll miss it. Don't wish it away and don't try to rush through it, because you'll never have these things again. No more getting ready with your best friends before prom, no more riding home with your siblings from school, no more dress-up days for homecoming; it all comes to an end once you receive that diploma.
Once you get to where I am today, everything will be OK, but don't wish to grow up too fast. Make the most of every day.
