Dear Self at 19,
I remember you.
What an exciting time in your life. You’re about to move to Boston. You’re newly single, fresh off a high school romance. Yes, I remember. It’s all so new and crazy and exciting but it’s also all so different. And it’s all moving so quickly.
But guess what? You make it. And in the blink of an eye, everything is different again. It doesn’t SEEM like a blink of an eye at the time- it never does, especially when it came to general ed lectures and the seconds seemed to drag. I remember those too.
My point is, you make it. And you come out better and stronger for it. I write you from a very happy place in your future. Congratulations. 🙂
Love,
Self at 24
2010.
I suppose that’s part of growing up, being able to learn lessons from the past. When you’re a teenager, you don’t really have much to go on- you have 19 years of living, and only a handful of years where you were able to make concrete decisions. But time passes, and you get through the challenges, and then you have more experience dealing with the curveballs life throws at you.
I think that’s an important lesson. Draw experience, not bitterness, from your challenges. If your heart was broken, embrace the ways it made you stronger and closer to your own self. If you lost a friend, learn from the experience and let it make you a better friend. If your parents divorced, discover the value of relationships and commitment. Let sickness remind you to be grateful for your own health as you pray for others. Let death remind you to celebrate life.
I’m at a point in my life where I am experiencing a multitude of changes again. They’re all good, and I’m confident in moving forward- but I can’t help but wonder how much of that confidence I owe to my 19 year old self. If only she could have known where life would take her… 🙂
2015.
Do you wish you could say anything to your younger self? What’s one thing they wouldn’t believe about your life now?
Stephanie Jean 