Dear High School Self,

Writing this letter to you feels like writing to a completely different person; someone who has yet to experience the things that I have, someone who lives in an entirely different world and is untouched by life. If someone asked you what you'd be like now, you would say that you would still be the optimistic, wide-eyed person who believed life was hers for the taking. Never in a million years did you think that 365 days could transform you into me.

I know that you're terrified of becoming someone who worries, who works all the time and who has many responsibilities. But having to deal with these things over the next year will make you stronger. As each problem in the next year confronts you, so will a new way to learn from them and the opportunity to become closer to the independent adult that you want to be. You can't separate the good parts of being an adult from the bad ones--you can only take each victory and loss as they come, deal with them, and move on.

College will not be what you expected. It will be more hard work than you ever imagined but it will also serve as a real-world crash course. You won't be spoon-fed or given handouts anymore, and though it may seem harsh at the time, the problems you encounter in life will pale in comparison to the ones you experience on campus. It will definitely not seem like the greatest four years of your life, but give it time, because trust me, it gets a lot better. I know you are one to get your hopes up and you will most definitely be disappointed in me saying so, but no, it will not be what you always dreamed it would be. Nothing ever is.

When you get to where I am today you will not have the same outlook on life, love, your career, etc. Don't be stubborn like I know you can be. View your experiences not as things that break you down, but as things that teach you some important lessons. When you're in my position, you'll look back on the things that have happened in the past year as things that have made you a better person, a better worker, a better family member, and a better thinker. In the middle of a problem, it can feel like a maze that you can't find your way out of, but once you get out (and you will get out), you have a better view and can see how it changed you. Try not to let the maze get the best of you.

One year can change you in ways that you didn't think it could. It will test you and break you but you will grow thicker skin, you will be grateful that you got through everything and you will appreciate being able to learn from it. There will be multiple times in the next year where all you want is to be back in high school. Unfortunately, you can't. So, instead of pondering on what was, focus on what is and what can be.

Love,

Me