Dear Me: A Letter to my Sixteen Year Old Self.

I randomly came across Traci‘s blog and immediately fell in love with this post. Traci wrote a letter to her 16 year old self, after reading a few letters like that, written mostly by celebrities, in a magazine. I loved the idea and wanted to do the same.

So here it. My letter to my sixteen year old self.

I am actually 18 in this, but that's as close as it gets right now. Me and my brother.

Dear Me,

You just went to the USA for the first time on a high school exchange. You loved it there. You know you want to come back and spend some more time there. Guess what? You will! Twice! First as an au pair. You are going to spend six months with a family on Long Island (not so successful) and then another six months with a family near Chicago. Ten years later the girls you watch are going to be like your little sisters and you will always feel close to them. Their mom will always be a great friend to you. Even though it’s not always easy you make it through the year.

You never really liked school that much. Seeing your friends was fun, but the actual work kind of sucked. You’re going to try a few different things and you never really feel like you are doing what you love. You don’t hate your jobs, but except for one job, they don’t make you happy. That’s okay. In your late 20s you’ll actually end up going to university. In the US! Crazy, right? And you’ll eventually graduate (hopefully). This journey is not always fun. It can get very challenging and stressful and you’ll think about giving up every now and then. But you don’t. And it makes you so much stronger.

You have the best parents in the world. They love you and always support you. You won’t always be able to be there for them when you would like to. That’s hard. You’ll feel like you’re missing out on many important events. You won’t be there all the times your mom has to go to the hospital. You’ll miss your brother’s wedding. You won’t be there for your grandpa’s or your grandma’s funerals. You won’t be there for the births of your niece and your nephew. It’ll suck. But your family will always be there for you. They love you. I wish I could tell you to give your dad an extra hug for all those times he picks you up from the club in the middle of the night. You’re upset that they don’t allow you to go out every weekend. You’ll get over it. You don’t need to go out every weekend when you’re sixteen. Trust me.

You always want to be as pretty and popular as your best friend. Turns out she’s not actually such a pretty person (mostly inside), as she is going to steal your boyfriend. It’s okay though. He’s not that great. They will get married eventually and you will look back and wonder why you even liked him in the first place. You’ll get over it. Seriously, they’re not worth all the tears, I wish you knew that. And you know what? You’re prettier than her. Always have been.

You are beautiful, even though you don’t know it. You are smart, even though you don’t like school. You think your parents are annoying, but they love you. They really do. They just want what’s best for you. Everyone always loved your big brother. All the girls in school, even your friends have crushes on him. You may fight with him once in a while, but he’s a cool guy. Just wait a little longer and he’ll actually take you out with his friends one night to a club. You’ll never forget that.

One more thing: Your taste in music will improve by 100%. Whew! Thank God.

Just don’t forget that your family loves you. And don’t forget to love yourself. You may not see it right now, but you are pretty awesome.

Love, Me