Letter to my teenage self

[intertext]

Meme gakked from kalquessa

Write a letter to yourself at seventeen.

When I was seventeen... it was a very good year... la la da la la la... la la la La da da da ...

Dear self

Here's how you'll know it's me. You had a hand-drawn map of Prydain up on your bedroom wall and used to stare at it, willing yourself somehow to appear there, a la "Voyage of the Dawn Treader".

Oh, my dear, sweet, innocent self. I have so many things to tell you.

First of all - it turns out okay in the end. Maybe not exactly the way you expected, but really okay, no matter what.

However.

Quit smoking. Now. You have only just really gotten into it, and it's going to dominate your life for the next twenty three years and it shouldn't. So please, trust me, you really don't need this.

Right now, you want to be an actress. Don't be discouraged. Go for it. You'll always regret it if you don't.

Leave home. Your father is poison, and you don't need to be afraid of the world. Don't listen to them. Do what you want to do.

Robert is gay. Get over him. Dougald would probably be a much better bet. You might also want to explore the unconventional. You have some scars, some BIG scars, from earlier experiences that you probably need to get dealt with. Don't be ashamed or afraid to get professional help.

When you decide to go to university (that's if you don't seriously follow up on acting), do English. Don't go into Classics - it will get you nowhere, and you're going to end up in English anyway so bow to the inevitable and get there faster and more painlessly.

If, however, you decide to go into Classics, go after Bert. He's a Good Thing, and he loves you. Don't let pride get in your way. Be honest, be vulnerable, don't worry about being hurt and it will all work out.

Oh my. Follow your bliss, my dear, and everything will be fine.

Comments

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

I always wonder...what if we could really do this? What would I really say to myself at seventeen? I mean, I've done the detailed lists of dos and don'ts, but I know myself pretty well and I've never been one for that kind of thing. :)

Dear me,

It really is me; here, let me prove it: salt and pepper shakers. I'm 32 now and I still remember being 17. So I also know that no one else could ever tell you a damn thing, and I love that about you. Here are some suggestions: there are moments when you hesitate because you're not sure about something. Don't say no, say "I'm not sure. Convince me." Do what you want to when you want to because you want to. Be fearless. And know that, no matter what, it turns out okay. We turn out okay.

[intertext.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's it, isn't it. We turn out okay. No matter what. I remember reading somewhere - you are where you are meant to be, right now, because all the little decisions you made led you here. Now. And it's okay.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

It's very comforting to see that you can reassure your 17-year-old self, and your hints at the love stories in your life are intriguing.

Me, my internal makeup is so similar now to what it was then that I can't begin to advise my inner self.

Maybe I would tell past-self to loosen up a little bit and to enjoy other people more.

[intertext.livejournal.com]

I would say that, too - part of not being afraid of the world. I would tell myself to have way more confidence in myself. I can feel a thread between me and that 17 year old, but I'm a very different person in many ways. I'd love the chance to go back and not make the mistakes I made because of fear.