Dear Me 1982,
Hi! I bet you are surprised to hear from me. Can you believe it has been 25 years! You won’t believe what has happened. I wanted to write to inform you of a few things. Maybe it will help you make decisions and help you in some way. I know the things you are going to go through are what makes me who I am today but there are a lot of experiences and feelings you are going to go through that may confuse you.
Please know that no matter how cute the drummer is, 8th grade is too young to date. It’s ok that your mom thinks it is funny that you kiss him outside of the school down the street but you don’t have to kiss him. I know, he is popular and cute but I know what you are thinking and you are right. You really don’t want to get involved with a boy who has such a different family than you. Also, don’t forget the time you called him and he was drinking a bottle of wine in his room by himself. That is a sign that something is wrong. Trust your instincts and follow through. This won’t be the first time you’ll need them. If you learn now, maybe that will save you from bad decisions in the future. Don’t let it bother you when he breaks up with you a few months later. Be happy you didn’t let him take anything from you, which is all he really wanted anyway. I know why you think he broke up with you but you are totally wrong. Oh, and you don’t have to be nice to his drug addict friend just to see if that would help you get him back. It won’t and he isn’t even worth it. It will just cause more trouble as people will start to think you are dating the drug addict friend. And you’ll be too nice, not wanting to hurt his feelings, to deny it.
You’ll go through quite a bit of friends because, as you will find out, there are a lot of cliques in high school. Don’t let any of them bring you down. Be yourself, just like you were when you dressed in your sweaters and nicer clothes when your other friends wore their Ronnie James Dio shirts and skin tight jeans. If you were smart, you would begin to see that friends like you for who you are and not just because you do what they do and wear what they wear.
You’ll always be different from your friends. That will end up being a problem in the long run but don’t let it change who you are. Those friends I just mentioned will start to use speed and the like as they hang out in South Park on the weekends. Don’t be offended when they don’t invite you. Be proud that you didn’t get sucked in to the drugs they are using. Be thankful for the new friends you make. That is, till they get you to shoplift because they want you to think the way you look is more important than how honest you are. Be thankful that you got caught with them and they made you the scapegoat. If that didn’t happen, I’m not sure where you would be.
You’ll be surprised at how there are always more friends to hang out with. Your friends in 10th grade are better, you think. You all do have fun together but when they ask you to go up on the roof, don’t go. They are going up there so no one can see them. They don’t want anyone to see them because they are going to smoke dope. I know it is convenient to have keys to the school. It is like having your own apartment but be careful. If you do what I did, there will be a lot of times when you are my age when you will think back on how many times God saved you from danger. Think of other people on the road and don’t get in the car with anyone who has impaired senses.
The biggest surprise for you will be when your folks tell you dad got a job transfer and you will be moving. They will let you finish your junior year but you have to move with them your senior year. Yes, that means you will have to leave your best friend, Lori and your boyfriend. If you think about where your life is headed, you’d be more willing instead of putting up a fuss.
Congratulations on making the Who’s who list in your senior year. It’s amazing a little bit of studying will get you A’s instead of D’s. You see, the move won’t be so bad because it will get you thinking of your future. You’ll realize all that babysitting happened for a reason. You plan on becoming a teacher. I’m pleased to inform you that you do indeed teach. But even more amazing, no matter how many times you told yourself you were not going to get married, you find Mr. Right. You two plan your life together on the second date. You marry a year after your first date (we won’t get into that, though we should. I’ll trust you are using better judgement than I was at the time). Things will be hard your first year. You and Mr. Right start to feel like it isn’t so right after all. Even though you two move away from family and friends to get to know each other more, there is still the computer chat lines for him and work for you. It seems like it is going downhill fast till you two decide to find a church. After much searching, you will find one that will lead you back to the Jesus you both knew in elementary school. Even though we rejected him often and for so long, His arms were still open wide just waiting for us. Finally, we found what we were missing. I’d like to say life was perfect after this but it isn’t. It is wonderful though, to go through ups and downs with the man you love. Can I tell you one last thing? Come closer… you have three children. all boys. all wonderful. and even better, you get to stay home with them! Your husband will work so hard outside the home to allow you to work hard inside the home. It doesn’t get better than this so hang on. You’ll experience it soon. It’s worth the wait! You have a man and 3 boys who love you! You couldn’t dream of a better life here on earth. Enjoy yourself and thank God for all your blessings!
Love,
me in 2007
I’m here from the Dear Me project. I had seen it a couple of other places and just did mine this morning. Now I am looking through some of the other stories.
I also have 3 boys.
they’re fun, aren’t they?
It’s so true that if we only knew what was around the corner (or trusted that God did), we would be more patient and willing for the circumstances God allows.