I present to you, with some vulnerability, a letter to myself at 18:
Dear 18 year old Sharon,
Right now life seems so complicated. Right now you are angry and sad, and you feel like a coward.
Stop beating yourself up.
I promise you, this is what is meant to happen, and the effects of this will mean a happy life in your future.
Your near future.
Sharon, would you believe me when I tell you that in just 5 years, you will be a confident, happy woman? You will know yourself, and you will have made your own little space i
n this world. You'll be walking down the aisle for your own wedding in 5 years. Would you believe that soon after that, you'll be welcoming your first child into this world? At 18, life is hectic. You just graduated high school, and you're going to a college you don't know you want to attend, feeling "forced" to go there. You're moving away from family & friends you think you can't live without. Even more so, you're moving away from a boyfriend you've considered the love of your life.
Well thank goodness 18 is young! There is a much better person out there to be the love of your life. Go with what your instincts are telling you-kick him to the curb! Enjoy the freedom.
These are the years to do so. So much excitement awaits you. Establishing new friendships, ones so deep that these people will become family to you. You will travel and see the world. Sharon, you will make one of your dreams come true-you will go to Ireland in just one year from now!
You will grow closer to family back home, but in a more mature way. You'll cross over from having just a parent-child relationship with your parents. You'll come to see them as actual people, and in return, they'll come to see you as an independent woman, not just their baby girl. (Switzerland, October 1999...just wait)
Best of all, you will come to know who you really are.
You will learn that in life, having a small group of good friends far outweighs a large group of people you half know.
You will learn that drinking is nice and fun, but partying isn't too much your thing.
You will learn that being a size 6 is not fat. In fact, enjoy it now, because you'll also soon learn how much of a challenge it can be to stay a size 6.
You will learn that you are a good teacher, and you did not take the easy way out. You will experience living on your own, being a full-fledged adult. And you know what? You'll be good at it. Your students and their parents will love, compliment you, and even express sadness when you announce you won't be coming back.
You'll learn that raising your own kid is far better than teaching other parents' kids. You'll also learn that even your own kid can get on your nerves.
Stop worrying about life at 18. High school is over with, and high school is not the best 4 years of life. That's college, honey. College will be better than you expect, and you will be just fine. It will turn out well.
In fact, just wait until you look back & see your husband and two little boys. When you enjoy being together as much as you do, you'll know it was all worth it. You'll find the value of being home with your family, knowing that your education is not being wasted, but rather, you're applying it to every day life. You'll know that should you choose to go back to work one day, you chose the perfect career to do so.
Lastly, you will learn that what you gain in college is not just about the degree and papers to prove it. What you will gain is life experiences that teach you who you are, what you really want in life. Your college experience, Sharon, will introduce you to the people that will forever remain a part of your life. People that make you a better person. People whom you make feel complete. Be happy. Be excited. At 18, life is just beginning.
Love,
You at age 28, August 13, 2008
P.S. For goodness sakes, enjoy the stylish clothes and fun shopping while you can! Soon enough you'll find that money is better off in other places. And SLEEP. Dear child, sleep as if you could store it up. Right now you think 8 a.m. is getting up early. Ha! In a few years, 8 a.m. will feel like sleeping in. So enjoy it all now. Life does get better, but in different ways. This is the time to sleep in and enjoy spending your money on yourself. ;)
If you wrote a letter to yourself at 18, what would you say?
4 comments:
Wow Sharon! That was inspirational. What would I say, I have no idea. In away I think we kind of are similar at 18.
I love the note about sleep! I should've put that in my letter, because it is SO true.
And I can certainly empathize with needing to remind your 18 year old self that she was not fat. What is wrong with 18 year old girls?;p
ummm, when you were 18, I was....25. that's when haleigh was born! that shoulv'e been the best year of your life!!!!!!!
well, i would have told myself stay in dance/get back into dance. I would have told myself go back to school & do not get married at such a young age!!!!!!!
I would definitely love to get back into dance.
At 18, though, that's not what was on my mind the most. (Abbott was. Disappointing, huh?)
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