365 Day Journal Challenge

Dec 26 - Conversation with younger self

Dec 26, 2008
Prompt:  Write an interaction between yourself now and yourself at a younger age . It can be holiday related if you wish and use dialogue or not.

Advice to a younger me.

In gradeschool-What your mom said about 3rd grade counting when it comes to getting into a good college.  Okay, she lied a little but in some ways, there's wisdom there.  Do your best.  Then quit worrying.  Teachers will gossip so don't make a bad name for yourself but otherwise, have fun in school.

In middle school-Don't worry about what others say, be friends with those who are real.  You won't be as popular but it will be okay.  After high school, it won't matter anyway.  The popular kids fall from grace and you can't go anywhere but up. 

In high school-Don't be afraid to be smart in class.  If you are, others will also feel less fear about letting their light shine.  Find others who aren't afraid to create and do their best.  As I said before, you may be called a geek but look who started Microsoft.  Keep writing poetry-it will help you and others someday.  Do your best, surround yourself with people who aren't afraid to be themselves, and know this too shall pass.  The day after high school is over for good, nothing that happens there will have any bearing on the rest of your lives unless you let it.

In college-Don't feel like you have to fix people, just do what you do best, keep learning, be careful who you date but don't marry anyone yet.  Who people are in college doesn't necessarily tell you much about how they can function outside the sheltered world of college.  Don't date folks just to tick off your parents, make a statement, again-fix someone, save someone, etc.  Listen to your mom when she says to never be drunker than the one you are with, fill your first beer can with water the rest of the night so you can leave the frat house on your own two feet and hopefully still a virgin.  Oh, and don't be afraid to totally change majors if you realize there are just some professions you might not be as cut out for as others.  We make mistakes but keeping on making them for fear of changing our minds or circumstances is even worse-its like telling ten lies to cover up the first.  Seek advice if needed but make up your own mind in the end b/c you're the only one who will reap the benefits or suffer the consequences of your decisions.  And lets not forget another piece of sage advice from mom-Get as far as you plan to go educationally BEFORE you have children-its awfully hard to return to school later. 

Dating life- If a guy is content to be engaged forever but refuses to set the date, they might be telling you something without using words-listen anyway.
If they say they don't want kids and you do, think real hard about this one too. You can have a baby but you can't make the unwilling be a father.  Also, if can't imagine a man being a good father or there's a good reason they don't want kids-listen to that one too...oh, and don't let him be a sperm donor unless you don't mind having the baby and him raising it...and being connected to you ....FOREVER....(including his parents). 

About the rest of your life: Don't do anything in your childhood or early adulthood differently-don't listen to my advice, don't change a thing.  Whatever you did, you did just fine without my advice.  If any lessons learned from mistakes would not have been learned, I wouldn't have the man sitting beside me playing World of Warcraft and researching Disney trips for our two beautiful boys asleep upstairs.  Follow your heart, listen to the wisdom inside and only listen to your family if it goes along with the wisdom inside.  Every man you dated brought you closer to this one-every lesson learned, every mistake made, etc.  Every misguided major, disillusioned moment in Chem 2, every positive comment from the English teacher about your writing even when you abandoned your English major in search for a profession with alot of MATH (Yuck) even though she saw something different in your abilities, every decision made,helped you to become who you are now-me.  So don't change a thing-just keep being yourself and things will work out just fine in the end. 

SWPoet




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