Is this really happening? Are you really about to graduate high school? The answer to both of those questions is yes, and that makes my heart feel a funny way. You are my baby sister, and there is nothing in this world I wouldn't do to protect you from the world. You are my baby sister, which means you should never know any hurt or heart break. As your older sister, I have a duty to give you the best advice I can give you to get through this thing called life after high school.
It is OK to not have your life figured out at 18 years old.
I know exactly what it feels like to be surrounded by so many possibilities, and the pressure of feelings as if you have to have everything figured out can be more than overwhelming at times. However, I am here to tell you that you do not have your life figured out. Yes, it is great to have plans and goals and dreams, but you have to know that just because you planned on something, doesn't mean that it is God's will for your life. You are going to get your hopes up, and there are going to be many times that you have doors slammed in your face. I can't promise you that it's going to be easy, but I can promise you that as long as you keep in mind that God's plans for you life are much, much bigger and better than the plans you have, you will be able to be at peace when your life seems to be complete chaos.
Don't count calories. Eat the dang cake.
The "freshman 15" is, in fact, a real thing, but you're not going to do yourself any good by worrying yourself to death about counting the calories and trying to escape the inevitable. College is hard, and I am here to tell you that nothing makes a tough day better than a big piece of cake, or a brownie, or really any of the foods you keep telling yourself to avoid. You're going to be the same beautiful young woman, regardless of your weight.
He is just a boy. Don't waste your tears on him.
Although I am not very old, I have found a few things to always be true. One of those is that boys will come and boys will go. If you don't learn anything else from me, please don't ever forget this -- do not cry over a boy. It is a waste of time. You are going to have to go on multiple bad dates and maybe a few crazy, crappy boyfriends before you find the right one. There is nothing wrong with being single. It's college. It is a time for you have fun. You have plenty of time to worry about finding "the one" and settling down. At the end of the day, you are a strong, beautiful, and capable young woman, and your happiness does not depend on a stinky, silly boy.
You're going to get a bad grade once and awhile. Don't freak out.
I know how easy it is to get so caught up in trying to be perfect and to not make any mistakes. But, you are a human, and you're going to mess up. You're going to study your butt off for a test, and still make a bad grade, and that's OK. Your GPA doesn't define you. I'm not saying it's totally acceptable to just mess around and not focus on your studies because grades are important, but one bad test grade isn't going to make you fail the class. Like I said before, college is hard, much harder than high school, and more than likely you are going to bomb your first tests because you're not going to know what to expect, and that is okay. Find a way to study that works for you, and you'll be able to bring those grades up.
It's OK to stay in and binge-watch Netflix sometimes instead of going to the party.
There is always going to be some party going on, and it's okay to stay in sometimes. You're not going to miss anything major. It is unrealistic to think that your body can handle going out every night of every weekend during the semester. Sometimes, it's so much more fun to grab some ice cream or popcorn, wrap up in your favorite blanket, and watch as many episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" as humanly possible. Your body will thank you, I promise.
Call our parents as much as possible.
College can be a crazy time, and sometimes you'll realize you haven't eaten at all and it's 8 p.m., but make time to call our parents. They are going to miss you so much, but they're not going to want to bother you because you're off having a good time. You have to make time to call and talk to them.
You are beautiful, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.
You are strong, kind, and beautifully unique. The best advice of all that I can give you is to be unapologetically yourself. Never lose sight of who you are, and never let anyone make you feel as if you need to change who you are. Yes, we all have flaws that we need to work on improving, but do not ever allow someone tell you that you need to change a single thing. Your value does not decrease based on someone's inability to see it.
And last, but not least...
I am always here for you, and I'll always love you.
No matter how old you get, you'll always be my baby sister and I will always love you. It doesn't matter what kind of trouble you get yourself into, I will always be there to get you out of it (but be smart because I'm a broke college student, so I don't have too much money to get you out of it). I'm just a phone call or a text away whenever you're overwhelmed or you just need a good laugh (because you know I'm funny). Just know that I love you more than anything and I cannot wait to see what kind of adventures adult life brings us. Oh, and you can't get married before I do.
