Sixteen year old me

Dear sixteen year old C,

“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing chances, but when you look back, everything is different…” – C.S. Lewis

• You know that cute boy that made you cry today? He won’t compare to some of the men you’ll meet in your twenties.
• Everyone will tell you that it’s a mistake to run from your problems. It isn’t. Follow your heart and run if you need to. Just make sure to return home.
• You will love a few times – the first cut is the deepest, so just enjoy the ride.
• Always remember that just because you meet a great man, doesn’t mean he is necessarily great for you.
• Set your standards of how you expect to be treated, and be a hardass with enforcing them.
• Set your standards of how you expect yourself to treat others. Be a hardass and enforce those too. 
• Not everyone will see the world the same way you do. Be tolerant of them.
• Don’t give into peer-pressure. Feel proud when you say you’ve never done drugs.
• Which leads me to my next point…just don’t do drugs.
• You can show your love by letting people go.
• You will hurt one day. I don’t know when it’ll pass, but it will. Just keep breathing.
• Don’t be in a rush to find love, but please, don’t be afraid of it.
• Nothing is worth numbing you. No job, no man, no friend.
• Don’t let your anger eat you alive forever.
• Next time your mother does something to make you so mad, just let it go. Eventually, you’ll catch yourself doing the same things one day. I don’t say this to scare you, but to excite you. It is a privilege to be half the woman your mother was.
• Please, please, dear girl. Hold your family tight.
• Death is scary. When the day comes, hold your mother’s hand when it’s her time. You’ll never regret that.
• You can be it all. You can be the dark girl, and the lightest one. When you’re feeling dark, use your voice to let other people be the light for you.

You will make it through, C.

Love always,