Dear Smaller Me,

It has been a while, I would have to say a least a decade. Never did you think that you would be in college writing an article about yourself, but here you are. Typing away, eating pretzel sticks in the corner of a silent library. Oh how the time does fly, for it feels just like yesterday that you had a gap between your teeth and were harassing your siblings. You will sure be surprised about the things I am going to share with you.

Remember in kindergarten, when you wrote your goals and dreams? I remember. You wanted to be a cheerleader, a spy, a skateboarder, a doctor, and a mother. Well, little girl, I can tell you this. None of that has happened. Instead, you decided that you would play field hockey, since cheerleading was ‘too girly’ for you. You decided that becoming a child therapist would be more effective than skateboarding, and that becoming a doctor was too overrated. Also, you’re dreams of going to Yale went downhill, which was not realistic because you were posing to become Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. Instead, you happily decided to attend Franklin Pierce University, in New Hampshire.

Shortly, in the seventh grade, grammy passes away from cancer. This is going to hurt, but you are going to have to be as strong as she was. At a new school, you did not have many friends, but you have your family and that is all you will ever need. It took some time to accommodate to her absence, especially since she was your best friend, but you will always know she is watching over you. In fact, you think of her quite often, especially about how much you miss her and grampy.

Now, high school. Freshman year is where your friends came along. These friends were mainly from field hockey and track, and you will not speak to a single one after you graduate. You learned about responsibility, respect, and how much you really hated math that year. What did you do with your hair?! It is still paying the cost, four years later! After a year, you got a job at a grocery store, which you still work at to this day. Finally, when you were halfway through your junior year, you got your permit last in your graduating class. You paid for your driver’s education course, and your cell phone. In the middle of senior year is where you get a beat-up PT Cruiser for five-hundred dollars. Not only that, but you started to really succeed in track. You were a captain in indoor for the second year, and won Most Valued Player in both outdoor and indoor.

Make every opportunity worthwhile, because you only get one shot in the real world. And do not do anything stupid, learn from your mistakes.

Sincerely,