My Dear Mini-Me,
You’ve already applied to all of your dream schools, and you’re patiently waiting to hear from each and everyone of them. You’ll fear disappointment and you’ll hope for acceptance, but I just want you to know that no matter what, it does not define you. Or maybe you don't want to go to school. Either way, the world is a very big place and you'll only go where you put yourself.
Watching you grow into a beautiful, young woman been an incredible blessing. It is a wonderful experience that many may not have, and I have cherished every step of this journey with you. Being away for this important milestone of your life has been tough for me, but I’m only a phone call away if you need me. In a way, I don’t want you to go to college. Even though I’m here, the big sister in me wants you safe under mom’s wing. But I guess we all have to fly free one day.
Here are some important things I want you to keep in mind while being in your senior year of high school and as you go through the motions of life:
In the end, only kindness matters.
This was my senior quote when I graduated, and it’s something that I’ve carried with me ever since. You need to leave on a good note — not that you wouldn’t. You need to be remembered for the kindness and compassion you’ve reflected onto others. You need to leave your mark on the teachers who have watched you pass their hardest tests and the coaches who have watched you grow into a determined athlete. You need to remind your future boss why they hired you in the first place and have decided to promote you. Your kindness is what people cherish the most. You need to let any high school drama go. It's pointless and I promise it’s really a waste of time. Which brings me to my next point.
Keep a small circle.
In high school, you'll feel it necessary to be friends with everyone. You'll want everyone to like you. When you get to college, you'll find that you don’t need to have a million different friends. You’ll only end up getting hurt by the ones you thought were truly there. Having a small amount of friends doesn’t mean that you aren’t liked, it just means you’re mature enough to decide who stays in your life and who leaves. You don’t need someone who will only be there when they need you. Instead, you need someone who is there for you as much as you are for them. Keep in mind that even though you don’t need a big group of friends, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make new ones. Just remember to stay true to people that have always been there and don’t leave them on the back burner.
Experience things you wouldn't otherwise.
I didn’t rush a sorority, I didn't try a club sport team, I kept within my comfort zone. Don’t do what I did. If you are offered a chance to do something that you might not have a chance to do again, DO IT. PLEASE. You don’t remember something you learned in a gen ed class, you remember the big experiences and memories you create in your life. There are so many things that people actually can’t do. Be the person that tells their stories to these less fortunate people. It will keep you humble.
Don’t take everything so seriously.
Growing up everyone is taught that life is serious and it shouldn’t be something to casually go through, but whoever said this was lying. I know that you will feel it’s the end of the world because you have a test tomorrow and you just started studying for it now, but I promise it’s not the end of the world. One failing grade will never make you seem like less of a human. Being fired from your first job doesn't mean you'll never get hired somewhere else. Success comes from failure, otherwise there would be no such thing as failing. If you don’t know what you want to do, that’s okay. Take your time or else you will be unhappy. Life is serious, but life is also what you make it. If you don’t want to sit behind a desk all day for the rest of your life, DON’T DO IT. If you want to travel the world, make it happen.
Finally, I always want you to keep an open mind and never judge a book by it’s cover. I want you to be kind to everyone, do amazing things, be serious (but only when you need to be), and create a life that you want your children to have. Have fun these last few months being stuck in a building all day. Have fun choosing your classes in college and skipping one or two because you went out the night before. Life is an endless journey and you’re about to make the biggest turn of your life, choose wisely but choose for you.
XO,
Your Big Sister
