Hi there, 10-year-old me. It’s you 9, almost 10, years later. I’m currently 19 and have a few things to say to you. First, here are some things that have happened:
You got your heart broken by a boy.
You rediscover your love of art.
You’ve traveled to some amazing places including Australia.
You fall in love with someone who always makes you laugh.
You graduated as second in your class in high school and spoke at graduation.
You go to college at your mama’s alma matter.
Your PawPaw passed away last year.
You join a sorority and meet your best friend.
You are currently living in a global pandemic.
That’s a list of all the main things that have happened, but many things haven’t changed. You are still best friends with your three closest current friends, even though all of you headed in different directions. You have always maintained your love of writing (clearly) and can now say you’re a published writer. Your family still consists of the most supportive and important people in your life. You still travel with your family every summer and have been blessed to see Hawaii, Alaska, Colorado, Mexico, Alaska, Australia, and more. You don’t play soccer anymore but played all through high school and still adore it. You still hate math but are almost done taking classes for it! You’ve always embraced your individuality and uniqueness.
A few things that have changed, or didn’t go the way you planned, include PawPaw passing. But he was surrounded by love, and Mimi has been brave and strong without him. She actually developed breast cancer and beat it — she’s easily the strongest person you know. Another thing that happened is that you developed a love for communicating with others. You took a speech class and gave two giant speeches in high school and loved it. You decide to major in Public Relations, which you truly enjoy.
Also, you are currently living through the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s not that scary, but everything is different. People have to wear masks everywhere. All classes and events are online. It has become a new normal even though you want things to go back to the way they were.
Here are a few things I’ve learned that I thought might be useful to you:
Cherish your friendships. Friendship is something special in life and even though they can be hard or frustrating, they are so worth it and you’ll make memories that you’ll remember forever.
School is important. School isn’t for everyone, but it is for you. Learning is something you can’t get enough of and consider extremely important.
Love yourself. It will definitely be hard at times, but it is hard to love others when you don’t love yourself first.
Take pictures. I treasure all the pictures I’ve taken throughout the years as they are return tickets to memories otherwise gone.
Be kind. Always be kind to others. You never know what someone is going through in secret.
Keep family close. Throughout your whole life, your family has been the people always there for you. Never let them drift away from you.
Don’t take everything so seriously. Take those risks or try something new. Life can be so fun when you let your guard down every once in a while.
To 10-year-old me: you’re doing great. You love your life and even in the midst of a pandemic, have never been happier. Keep doing what you’re doing and you will end up right where you’re supposed to be.
Love,
19-year-old you