Dear Me

Dear 13-year-old me,

It's hard to image you were almost 3 decades ago.  1988?  Yikes.  Try not to get caught up in the fashion insanity.  I have five things to tell you, so listen up. 

First find something reliable to build your life around and stick with that - like sports.  Stick with basketball and track because you like it, and are good at it, even when you eventually get beat.  Despite what some people will say, being involved in sports is important because it keeps you out of trouble and is a useful outlet of that ridiculous amount of energy you have.  Enjoy it now because by the time you're 40 you will need to drink some caffeine to feel that way.  Keep running and jumping and kicking and hurdling.  It will keep you healthy, eventually take you good places and introduce you to important people in your life.


Second, you are a sponge right now.  Soak in all of the knowledge that you can handle.  Eventually you will have so much LIFE going on that it is hard to find time to pick up a book or take a class and you will fall back on those things that you learn in high school and college.  There are many key lessons to be absorbed and even if you miss the details, the bigger picture will stick.  Keep direction and soak it all in.

Also, thank you for going to church.  Even if it's not the church you eventually become a member of, it is the foundation of your relationship with God.  And even if it doesn't answer all of your questions, it makes you ask them and that is important.  Remember, if all of the answers were known, it wouldn't be called faith.


A hard reality to accept is that God believes that you are beautiful and one day you will look back at these pictures and wonder what all the fuss was about.  Stop over-analyzing and worrying about pimples and hairs out of place and whether your belt matches your shoes.  Being thin is not a fault, it's an asset and you will one day be so very thankful for healthy genes.  By this time you have dated and by the way, none of them is not THE ONE...but then you know that.  There is a "THE ONE" for you and you won't meet him for a while so in the meantime, you are young - have fun and try not to take it all so seriously.  God's timing is perfect.


Finally, high school is about to start for you.  Girls are mean.  As nice as you try to be to them, there will be ones who are not nice back.  There's just no other way to put that.  Be nice to people and forgive them like you would one day hope to be forgiven.  Some are going to hurt your feelings, others are going to betray your trust and eventually only two or three of them stay in touch with you until you are 40.  But guess what?  Those are the only ones who really mattered anyway and you know who they are.  I just wish you knew how to focus on those good relationships and stop trying to please everyone who doesn't really eventually matter.  When your feelings eventually get hurt by a girl or boy, try to keep perspective that in 4 years (which seems like an eternity now I'm sure, but trust me...er...you, it goes fast), you will all part ways and go out into the world and your life will consist only of those people that you allow into it.  Be discerning because each person will have an influence on you.  Not all of them will be good and not all of them will be bad.  A big part of the next decade will be learning to tell the difference.

To be very non-specific, things work out.  It's a great ride and your family is amazing and eventually, all the last three decades are worth whatever trials occur because it brings you here, to almost 40, and happy, and blessed. 

Sincerely,
Your older self