With the impending arrival of my 27th birthday, despite my best efforts to avoid it, I have been thinking a lot about the last 10 years of my life. As I reflect back, I find it fascinating that 17 year old me was even me at all. I think I have changed a vast amount in the past decade of my life, which is what has prompted the writing of this article. I started to think about things I wish I would have known when I was 17, things I wish I would have done, and things I wish I would have never done. So here it goes, a list of things I want to tell my 17 year old self...

LOVE YOURSELF
Stop picking yourself apart, piece by piece, and just love yourself. You spend so much time hating yourself. I know you hate the way your hair looks. I know you hate that you're always 20lbs heavier than the other girls. You're so consumed with hate that you don't see how utterly phenomenal you are. You, my dear, are one smart cookie. You will graduate with your Bachelors Degree, then go on to achieve your Masters Degree in Education. You will be accepted into the International Honor Society. You will grow into a beautiful woman who finds happiness in her own skin. Don't worry about that extra weight, it just means there is more of you to love. I know you're still so unhappy with yourself, but I promise that will all fade away as the years go by. The hate will vanish. Love will invade every facet of your life. I promise, everything will be okay. Please stop wasting all that time with hate and just enjoy the simplicity of being 17.

STOP WORRYING ABOUT BOYS
I know you think you love him. I know you think it's true love and it's meant to be, but it is not. I know you think it is the end of the world because he cheated on you, but there is a silver lining behind the clouds! You're an emotional person, so you're going to feel that heartbreak deep down inside of your bones. I want you to know that just because it doesn't work out with him, it doesn't mean you're never going to find happiness in love. You will meet an amazing man years down the road, and you will marry that man in a gorgeous chapel in the mountains of Tennessee. So stop worrying about boys and go out with the girls! Go shopping with your friends or see a new movie! Because those are the moments that will end up meaning the most to you. Not all those moments you spent curled up inside of the house crying over a boy.

LET YOUR PARENTS SPOIL YOU
I know you will go through that teenage spell when you can't stand to be around your parents, but listen to me when I say that you need to let them spoil you. Let them spoil you and do things for you for as long as they are able. Your parents are going through a hard time right now. I know you are consumed with your own personal drama, but your parents are dealing with their first baby bird leaving the nest. Be gentle. Call them every change you get. And, please, always tell them how much you love them. You'll be glad you did.

ENJOY THE COLLEGE LIFE
You're in a new city with new people, and crazy things are going to happen. Crazy things like a man chasing you down into a pizza joint's parking lot because you almost cut him off in traffic. You're going to cry, a lot. You're going to call your Dad and beg him to let you come home. You're going to get lost, a lot. You're going to miss that boy that you left back at home. You're going to wish you were anywhere else in the world, but I promise those will be some of the best days of your life. So just enjoy it. Breathe in the fresh air of Autumn when all the colors of campus become so vibrant. Do your homework by the fountain. Go ahead, eat that extra slice of pizza. Engage in conversations with your peers because you're all at this marvelous stage in life where the sky is the limit. Just enjoy being a college student. You only get to do it once, so take it all in.

BE AS CAREFREE AS POSSIBLE
I know you are in such a hurry to grow up, but please slow down and enjoy being young and carefree. You have your entire life ahead of you. The day will come when you have bills, a mortgage, car payments, and so much more on your plate! You will grow up, but for now... Just enjoy being a teenager. Sleep in as often as you want. Take risks. Try new things. This is the moment in life where you get to just simply BE. SO ENJOY IT!!!

Plain and simple... just breath.