I found this on Dacia's blog and loved it. I am writing my own now.
Dear 17 year old me,
I'm sure as you read this you are rolling your eyes, sighing, and will repeatedly utter your favorite word "whatever". Listen anyway.
First and foremost, be careful with your heart. You will fall for a guy at 15 and he will be back again soon. Do NOT go there again. When everyone you know is screaming at you to run the other direction, DO IT! In fact, skip most every guy from here on until you meet your future hubby in 2003. All the others are jerks, perverts, or wieners. You can give Ryan a date or two though, he's sweet and won't hurt you :o) You think the attention you get from guys is what makes you "good" or "bad" "ugly" or "pretty". Well guess what, you are good and pretty so who cares what they think? You won't keep in touch with any of them and you will someday see that what you think of yourself matter most. Oh, and they all end up losers and alone.
Don't drink and party so much. I know you are smart enough to steer clear of the drugs though :o) We're cool like that. You manage to get out of your many foolish drinking experiences alive but save your mother and father the sleepless nights. Yes, you are more popular and have more friends from it all, but who cares? Guess how many of those friends you still talk to today? Less than 5. And Laura is still your best friend and the only friend that will remain 100% loyal to you no matter what. Remember that. High school popularity means...oh yeah, nothing. All the popular people who you think have it all...don't. Most of them work dead end jobs and to put things nicely...they do NOT age well. True story.
Be nicer to your dad. You may think he is annoying, moody, and controlling. Well, guess what? So are you. He is only annoying because you are 17 and 99.9% of all people fall into that category. He is only moody because he busts his butt daily, at a job he hates, to provide for his family and make your life better. He is only controlling because was 17 once and made mistakes that he wants you to avoid. He knows more than you think. Oh, and say thank you once in a while. It does him more good than you know.
Listen to your mother! She will end up being right in most situations. I am happy to say you keep her words in mind more than you realize now. She loves you more than anyone else so be kind and less of a brat. You will find yourself calling her in the future for advice all the time! When she cooks something for dinner you don't like, keep your mouth shut and eat it. She worked hard all day and didn't cook dinner to hear your opinions on it. Someday you will be dying to have someone cook dinner for you! Oh, and clean your room! And that does not equate to throwing everything in the laundry and calling it a day.
You have an awesome family! Appreciate them all for what they are! Enjoy your times together and make them more of a priority. When every one else is gone, they will be the ones there no matter what. Not everyone is blessed with a family like yours so enjoy them! Yes, even your brother! Believe it or not, you will end up really liking him someday! When your sister comes home from college for the weekend, spend it with her NOT your friends! She's a good friend and a good influence on you and will save your butt from a lot of trouble some day!
Focus more on your grades (math in particular). You will regret it if you don't. I know you think TV, phone, and friends are waaaaaaaaaaay more important than school and that you won't use anything you learn but you are so wrong. Letting Laura do all your math homework does not help you in any way! Oh, and you doing her Spanish doesn't help her either! College is rapidly approaching. Don't forget.
Stick to your morals and values. I know you will. You will find later in life that your beliefs have more of an effect on those around you than you think. It may seem "uncool" but those who think its "uncool" end up with lives you would never want. You will see that someday.
Open your heart more to those around you. I know emotions are something you don't understand or show well but someday that will change. When you meet your hubby in 2003 he will show you how to love and that it's okay to express your feelings. It doesn't hurt to start practicing now! If someone hugs you, hug back. If a friends says they love you, say it back! It's okay to feel things. I promise. You have a beautiful smile, so use it! Plus people will see you as less of a snob.
Work out more and eat less. Cellulite is forever. FOREVER. It only gets harder from here to lose weight and get in shape. You will NEVER have more time than you do now! Take advantage of it! Someday you will have a husband and in-laws who looooooooooove water sports. Bathing suits are required. Beware.
Last but not least believe in yourself! You are far more capable of things than you think! Work hard, don't give up, and always say your prayers. You are going to need your Lord in the coming years more than you can even begin in imagine. Enjoy life and cherish everything. Even the things you think are hard and the times you think are challenging, you can still look back on with fondness, if you make the effort to make good memories!
Love,
Me
annie kate
8 years ago
