Dear me at 17,
Sit down and think for a few minutes about what is really important. Who do you love? Who do you want to be? What do you want people to see when they look at you? Take off those baggy jeans, and get some pants that fit. Throw out those dingy sweatshirts and buy a shirt that fits – not to tight, of course, but some shape would be nice.
Don’t worry that you don’t get asked out. Don’t worry that most of the dates you have been on, you were the one asking. The year after you give up on college life (hey, college isn’t meant for everyone) you will meet a fantastic guy, and you will marry him and feel like the luckiest girl in the world. And once you’re a mom, and hear your friends complaining about their husbands, you will realize how lucky you really are.
Stop being stupid and work on your personal progress. I know, you feel like you are to rebellious for something so silly, but in 7 or 8 years when you are called into Young Women’s and it is your job to encourage other girls to get their award, you will wish that you had done it. You will wish that you had that experience and that relationship with the Lord to lean on. Getting it as an adult leader just isn’t the same.
Don’t worry about going into debt to pay for your college dorm. You get it paid off, and you learn a valuable lesson there. Don’t take for granted that your Dad bought you a 1991 Toyota Corolla. Take care of it.
Stop when you exit the parking lot at Clark’s Market. That way you wont feel guilt for not telling anyone that you got pulled over when you went to get Mom’s medicine. Luckily, he gives you just a warning.
You’re going to fight with your parents. But take a deep breath and listen to them. Someday you’ll understand, they just wanted what was best for you. And you never know, you just might learn something.
Try to learn something about flowers, and gardens and yard work from your mom and dad. Believe it or not, they know a lot. Because if you don’t, you’ll have to replant a tree three times at your first house. It will keep dying. You wont be able to plant a garden, and someday you might want too. Your flowers will get taken over by weeds and it will be money down the drain.
Don’t complain about housework, when your mom asks you to help. It wont be that many years until your expecting your kids to help, with out complaining. Vacuuming every day is essential, and dusting is important too.
Realize that most of your friends will still be immature 10 years out of highschool. You lose track of most of them, but the one or two that you still talk to are the ones that you should treat the best. Some friends come and go, and some stick by you through everything. Be there for them, too.
Take your school work a little more seriously. Especially history and home economics. You’ve always wanted to be mom, right? Home economics will come in very handy. And history will seem more important to you later than it does now.
But most of all, remember that the Lord loves you. And it doesn’t matter what other people think. And, be yourself, but be your best self.
From, yourself in 2008
13 comments:
Slacking in Personal Progress and Seminary are two big regrets of mine.
I can't get behind the housework, except for don't complain. I always feel bad when my daughter wants to play house, I always fell like she'll have enough years of that as an adult, play something else right now.
You always come up with good stuff, now I want to steal this too!
What a fab idea. I wonder what I would say to myself...maybe I'll steal your idea, too. Love your advice. Isn't it nice to know that we grow up and life evens itself out and we grow out of our insecurities? funny about the YW stuff, kinda ironic, isn't it. Darn. Now i'm in the same situation, didn't even think about it till right now... Maybe I'll get that award now! What about writing a letter to ourselves 20 years older? That would be interesting as well.
Love, your fellow novel writer
What a great letter! Don't you wish we really could go back in time and give ourselves these bits of advice. Sometimes I wonder, what kind of advice would 43 year old me give to present 33 year old me?
if only we could have done this for real! so many things would have been different, but i wonder if i would have listened to my future self when i was 17?!
I can't help but wonder if my younger self would've listened to my older self. I was just so full of myself then. Sigh...
First of all, I am totally in love with that song right now.
Secondly, this is a great letter. A great one. I thought about doing it myself and frankly, it scares me a little. I wish my big regrets about that time was slacking on personal progress and seminary.
It's really true about the history huh? I could have cared less in high school but it's the one subject now that I wish i knew more about.
Am I really supposed to vacuum everyday? : )
Ahhh, if only if we could be so wise at 17!
Seriously, I love this and sometimes wish I could go back to tell myself a lot of the same things. Mostly I would say "he's just a boy you'll forget. So forget him already!"
Too bad I didn't listen to the older version of me at the time: My mother. Go figure, eh?
I love this letter! So much that I may steal your idea away - I hope you don't mind. All of what you wrote to yourself is so true - isn't it amazing how our perspective changes with a little bit of life experience?
I loved this! Such a fun idea. Yay you! :)
This is such a good idea! I'm going to go compose a letter to my (very dumb) teenage self right now; thanks for the great idea!
This was a cute letter! Great idea.
Now that I know you're a normal hairdresser...I wish I could go to you!!! (But you gotta admit, most of 'em out there have some STORIES to tell!)
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