Inspired by this blog: http://aredheadsguide.com/
Dear Laura,
I'm so excited for you to see where life will lead in the next decade. It's crazy, in a good way. You have learned so much and grown so much in the past ten years. I know you think you know a lot now, but just wait. The older you get the more you realize you DON'T know.
In the next decade, you will fall in love multiple times. You will have your heart broken multiple times. You will find a teaching job or two. You will have successes. You will have failures. You will realize that your parents are actually pretty cool (I know, I know...). You will realize that real life isn't as awesome as it's cracked up to be. You will still be best friends with your close high school friends, even though you grow up and grow apart a bit. You will still be a band nerd.
Love yourself. A lot. Tell yourself you're beautiful. You won't believe it at first, but you are. You have a beautiful personality. Your future students LOVE that about you. Never lose your kindhearted personality. Be positive. Be upbeat. Be inclusive. Be inviting. Be welcoming.
When you get to college, it is fun and a nice change from high school. Don't feel like you have to stay in your dorm all the time -- you can meet so many more great, interesting people! You meet some friends, but they'll never be *quite* as close as your high school friends. You will befriend your freshman RA and end up working as an RA for 3 years which doesn't seem like a great thing at the time, but it will save you SO MUCH MONEY. Even when it gets hard, you stick through it and when you get a student loan bill every month you appreciate that money you saved! And the girl who was your RA your first year? She will get you through a lot later in life. Appreciate her and all that she is.
You will fall in love for the first time at age 21. He will be your first kiss, and it will be a really freaking great first kiss story -- he kisses you when you are standing on the border of two countries. Seriously, isn't that the coolest?? The first year with him will be really great. You'll even think he's "The One". He will tell you he loves you and that he wants to spend his life with you. You spend 3.5 years with him, though the rest of the relationship won't be as magical as the first year. All I can say is listen to your gut the first time. Your bestie (same bestie that you have now) never really likes him. You should listen to her. She knows what she's talking about.
You will move for that first love and it will blow up in your face. He will distance himself from you and you will feel lost and abandoned. He won't respect you as you deserve. You end up going through the break up from hell, but those around you will show you they care about you. You will miss your friends and family 500 miles away, but they will be there when you need them most. It will take a long while to get over him but eventually you will realize that you are better off without him and that he doesn't deserve you.
Mom will be diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2011. You cry, a lot. You think the world will end. But she takes control of it like a champ and even when she has bad days she is overall pretty healthy. Don't take your mom for granted. She's a pretty cool gal. She hurts a lot more than she lets on, but you're able to be there for her when she needs you. She will miss you a lot the year you move to North Dakota, but she'll be overjoyed when you move back. In a lot of ways she is your rock, and she is your family's rock.
Your dad still has a kooky way of helping you out with anything and everything, but remember he always means well. Always. He will even drive a moving truck across the countryside to save your butt and help you move home after you quit your first teaching job. In many ways he will still drive you crazy. He will have problems coming to terms with the fact that you are a responsible, mature adult who doesn't need her dad quite as much anymore. Again, he always means well. You will realize just how much alike the two of you are. It will scare you a bit, but you learn to embrace it. You will realize that he's not invincible and that scares you a bit too. Appreciate him. He's such a great guy.
You will go on a million first dates that go nowhere and eventually you fall in love with a guy who treats you REALLY well. He will open doors and take your coat and make you dinner and pay for dates and carry your stuff up to your apartment for you. He will be there for you when you absolutely need him most and he will prove that he is worth keeping around. You will realize that this is how dating should be: easy. You are kind of unsure about him at first, but you realize that he is really freaking amazing and in time you fall for him. It is a healthy relationship and he makes you ridiculously happy. You don't want to rush it and you take it at a healthy pace.
That brings us to today. You will look back at who you were and even though you're still the same person, you'll marvel in how much you've changed over such a short period of time. It's amazing how far you've come and how far you have yet to go. Sit back, enjoy the ride. Don't take one day for granted.
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