Dear Me

Twenty years ago, I was an eighteen year old freshman in college.  I was so sure that my future was a good and secure one, confident that my choices and behavior would protect me from serious detours.  I didn't expect an easy life, but I thought it would be fairly predictable.  This is what I would write to that perky 18-year-old just setting out ...




That's me in the red, with my sweet sister in 1992.

Dear Missy,

You are having the time of your life - enjoy this season!  Get to know as many different people and diffent kinds of people as you can.  Your mind will open to so many new possibilities.  You are making deep and intimate friendships right now and twenty years later these will still be some of the most treasured relationships of your life. 

That guy you met at lunch the first of year, you will fall blindly in love with him.  Try not to be so blind.  You're keeping some space right now and that is good, but don't get in the habit of protecting your heart.  Let the good in!  It's going to take you many years to discern healthy boundaries for your heart and you will build high, thick walls.  It's okay, but letting those walls down will be the keys to your true happiness. 

You are known for your positive outlook - hang on to that!  You are going to need to see the best in situations more than you ever have in the past.  Remember all those times when it was hard to see the good, but you chose to be hopeful.  Keep up that pattern.

Often you choose to be alone over hanging out with others.  It's okay to like being alone, just don't isolate yourself in the process.  There is strength in going your own way and doing things differently. 

Most of all, try to accept that it's okay to not be perfect. Try to be gentle with yourself. Things in this life aren't perfect, and no one expects that of you. 

What would you tell the you of twenty years ago?