To the high school version of myself,
Four years ago, Vine was still in its prime, Obama was still President, the government still took climate change seriously, and One Direction was still a five-member band. A lot has happened in the past since then. Not everything has changed though - the Patriots are still playing in (and winning) the Super Bowl (unfortunately), and I am still (also unfortunately) 5'3" tall.
More importantly, though, I have changed a lot as a person over these past few years. Four years ago, I didn't have the typical large friend group, so I would eat lunch by myself when my small squad was busy. It was such a lonely time for me, and I sometimes felt lost and helpless when it came to making good quality friends.
Looking back, I've grown so much as a person.
Not only have I learned to form better connections with people, but I've also established a friend group with people who care about my well being and motivate me to succeed, both in my hometown and here at college. However, I still do find myself occasionally eating alone - the difference is that now, I don't feel isolated when I have to grab lunch by myself. I am much more comfortable in my own skin and find that spending time with myself and my thoughts doesn't scare me as it used to. In fact, sometimes I prefer just grabbing myself a bite and eating alone as I work on some homework or write an article because I find it to be a really productive use of my time.
Another way in which I've changed for the better is I have a much healthier body image than I did back then. I've grown into my body and learned how to feel comfortable in my own skin. I used to always believe that I need to dress a certain way or have a certain body shape in order to feel loved and worthy in society. Though this thought process has taken time and patience to reverse, I now find myself being much more comfortable with how I look in the mirror, and when I work out or diet I do it with the goal of keeping my body healthy, not with the goal of trying to look a certain way to prove my worth.
Four years ago, I never would've imagined that I could've made it this far.
There are a lot of ways in which I still need to grow. I definitely need to become a bit more mature and learn how to deal with new "adult" obstacles, such as living on my own, making a new city my new home, and learning to be more financially responsible. Four years from now, I hope to be a high school English teacher encouraging young high school students to trust themselves and be more confident in their own skin. I hope to be able to look back then and reflect on how much I've changed for the better since now. Most of all, I just hope to be happy, healthy and enjoying life with my loved ones.
