For all of us out there who get a little too caught up in life it becomes vitally important that we remember where we came from and who we once were. It's important to remember the little boy or girl who once wanted to achieve so much and woke up everyday perceiving the world to be their oyster. For me it's important to remember the little girl who...
1. Named her baby blanket "Blankie" and demanded that [he] wore a baby diaper.
2. Who had a pet pinecone.
3. Was in love with dinosaurs and thought she'd become a paleontologist.
4. Who carried her Beauty and the Beast dolls around everywhere she went.
5. On top of that, the girl who would watch "Beauty and the Beast" on replay.
6. Who had a little sister who she would randomly switch beds with in the middle of the night.
7. Worried every night of kindergarten that she would never lose her baby teeth.
8. Was obsessed with dogs and shared a twin bed with her puppy.
9. Begged her dad to play catch with her everyday.
10. Spent every day in her neighbors pool.
11. Loved to be extremely crazy when it came to jumping into a pile of leaves.
12. Ran around the house with her sister screaming the lyrics to the song "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba.
13. Lived at her local parks.
14. Used to have a "wish granting box" that was supposed to grant any wish you wrote down on the paper inside. To which I wished I would someday get boobs.
15. Was insanely obsessed with Hilary Duff and Jesse McCartney,
16. Kept a password journal named Pia.
17. Was, and still is, madly in love with the Lord of the Rings series, specifically Legolas.
18. Dreamed of playing Varsity volleyball and softball.
19. Couldn't wait to have her first kiss and first boyfriend.
20. Stumbled through the world of makeup and hair in middle school.
21. Couldn't wait to go to prom.
22. Who planned in her head the dogs she would someday buy.
23. Just wanted her life to turn out great and to make her parents proud.
I just wish I could tell that little girl that everything would turn out okay. However, I wish that that little girl could also frequently remind the "current me" of all the things I used to care about. As well as keep that young and ambitious spirit alive. What a blessing it would be to still always see the world as our younger selves once did. As a happy and warm place where boys are sweet and life is sweeter. So to the old and new me, remember to just keep swimming.