January 4, 2012

An Open Letter to 15 Year Old Jess

Hey you!

Yeah you... the wild haired girl who looks like she's in a competition with herself to be as unattractive as possible.

Would you switch off that movie you keep obsessively watching for like 5 seconds?


Also, for the love of God, do yourself a favor and take off that effing hoodie sweatshirt.  It's truly awful.

I need to talk to you about some stuff.  Some stuff that is going to happen in the next 15 years and some stuff I need you to know in advance... a little friendly advice if you will.

First of all, you need to know that the world isn't divided up into packs of Jocks, Cheerleaders, Goths, Creeps, Band Kids and Weirdos.  There are only 2 groups: People Worth Knowing and People Not Worth Knowing.  The thing that's gonna be hard is  figuring out which group people belong to, because it turns out it has nothing to do with what music they listen to and whether or not they shop at The Buckle.  Don't limit yourself.  It's way boring.

Next, you need to try to be braver.  Like a lot.  This is going to suck for awhile, but it will be completely rewarding.  Don't be invisible.  Join things, talk to people, participate.  I know it sounds pretty lame, but you will never ever regret the things you tried.

Another thing, you need to get over comparing yourself to others right now.  Here's a news flash: you're a late bloomer.  You will probably always be this way. And I'm not talking about boobs... you got those early.   I'm talking about those momentous life landmarks we all think are inevitable: love, careers, marriage, babies, etc. You can stop comparing your life progress to everyone else's.  They've got their own mountains to climb, your mountains are completely different.  It's okay.  Just relax.

And last of all, in your senior year when everyone tells you that you will someday regret not going to prom, they are 100% absolutely WRONG-O.  You will never regret not going to prom.  So don't worry about it.

Carry on my wayward son...

Your pal,
Jess


4 comments:

  1. well said! very well said. happy almost 30th!

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  2. Yeah, I don't for a second regret not going to my senior prom. I even wish I had missed my junior prom. Man, I wish I could go back and speak with my own 15 yr old self. Assuming I'd even listen to me, I'd have to tell her to immediately step away from the rainbow eye shadow- there is no need to match perfectly your eye shadow to every outfit you own.

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  3. Amazing! I'd tell my younger self to follow your gut and take more chances!! Guess 30 year old me ought to take that advice too!

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  4. @Lindsey - Thanks! I'm almost there!

    @Jessica - I regret all of the rainbow eyeshadow I DIDN'T wear.

    @Kari- Honestly, I could fill pages and pages with advice for my younger self and having more guts would be the overriding theme of that list.

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