An open letter to myself, circa 1994
Nov. 22nd, 2009 03:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apocalypticbob(as encouraged by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
arkhamrefugee)
Dear Amber,
If this letter reaches you as planned, you are 16 years old. There are a few things you need to know about the next 15 years, things that will save you lots of grief and heartache.
- Don't save your important writings (or even your non-important ones) on 3.5 floppys. Print out hard copies, put them in binders. You'll wish you had done this later.
- Don't sleep with Julio. He doesn't love you. He's using you. You'll wish later that your first consensual time was with someone you cared about and someone who cared about you. You'll also wish it was much better and lasted more than 2 minutes, so wait.
- You are going to believe you are in love a whole lot of times in the next few years. Most of them are lust or like, and some are friendships that you will cherish forever, but stop stressing so much about finding "the one." Enjoy them for what they are...brief, messy, fun, heartbreaking, and all of those other human emotions, without tacking so much social baggage on to them. You don't have to give a piece of your heart to all of them. They aren't all worthy. Be more discerning.
- You aren't crazy for desiring what you desire, and you aren't alone. Not even remotely. Don't think it makes you sick or perverted. Just accept it as part of the broad spectrum of human attraction, and don't beat yourself up about it (ah, irony!) too much.
- When you are 19, a trip to Georgia will change your life irrevocably. What seems like the end of the world will in fact be an enhancement, but like a boulder dropped in a creek, it will divert the path your life is on. Try not to let it crush you.
- His little white lie to his boss was a stupid reason to break up. You should move to New York to be with him. You will always wonder what will happen if you don't. Don't let fear and a job that will end in a few years stop you from pursuing a real chance at happiness.
- Peter is not worth trying to kill yourself over. He will never call you or visit you or write you in the hospital. He is a loser and a pothead. Life is precious.
- While you are in the hospital, keep your drawings to yourself. Things will go downhill fast if you don't, and you won't get the help you need.
- Stop fucking with people's heads. They aren't your playtoys and you will regret it later. Treat people with kindness and respect and integrity. Stop being reckless with their emotions, and stop being reckless with yours.
- You are beautiful. You are not too fat. The modeling industry is absolutely insane. Do not starve yourself to fit their ideals. You won't be able to anyway, because you have actual breast tissue that you can't diet off and hip bones that are wide and will never fit in sample sizes. You will never be a size 2. You will never be smaller than a size 6, and that is perfectly okay. Stop chasing that dream and focus on being healthy and learning good eating and exercise habits.
- Learn to let things go. Not just emotional things, but physical ones. You will wind up in deep trouble if you don't.
- Don't get three credit cards and max them out, thinking the good job will last forever. It won't, and you won't have much to show for it. Invest wisely, save some money, and stop buying crap you don't need.
- You won't be married by the time you are 30. Don't hang everything on that.
- The house on Second Street is haunted. Don't rent it.
- Tell someone about your brother. Tell someone about the gangs and the drugs. Tell someone about the way he hits you. You don't need to put up with that anymore.
- It is going to be okay. It isn't going to go as you planned, but it is going to be okay. You will meet some awesome people and have some amazing experiences.
I love you, just as you are,
AB
____________________________________________________
And now, quoting fromarkhamrefugee:
"I challenge you readers to post your own letters to yourselves, circa 15 years ago."
arkhamrefugee)Dear Amber,
If this letter reaches you as planned, you are 16 years old. There are a few things you need to know about the next 15 years, things that will save you lots of grief and heartache.
- Don't save your important writings (or even your non-important ones) on 3.5 floppys. Print out hard copies, put them in binders. You'll wish you had done this later.
- Don't sleep with Julio. He doesn't love you. He's using you. You'll wish later that your first consensual time was with someone you cared about and someone who cared about you. You'll also wish it was much better and lasted more than 2 minutes, so wait.
- You are going to believe you are in love a whole lot of times in the next few years. Most of them are lust or like, and some are friendships that you will cherish forever, but stop stressing so much about finding "the one." Enjoy them for what they are...brief, messy, fun, heartbreaking, and all of those other human emotions, without tacking so much social baggage on to them. You don't have to give a piece of your heart to all of them. They aren't all worthy. Be more discerning.
- You aren't crazy for desiring what you desire, and you aren't alone. Not even remotely. Don't think it makes you sick or perverted. Just accept it as part of the broad spectrum of human attraction, and don't beat yourself up about it (ah, irony!) too much.
- When you are 19, a trip to Georgia will change your life irrevocably. What seems like the end of the world will in fact be an enhancement, but like a boulder dropped in a creek, it will divert the path your life is on. Try not to let it crush you.
- His little white lie to his boss was a stupid reason to break up. You should move to New York to be with him. You will always wonder what will happen if you don't. Don't let fear and a job that will end in a few years stop you from pursuing a real chance at happiness.
- Peter is not worth trying to kill yourself over. He will never call you or visit you or write you in the hospital. He is a loser and a pothead. Life is precious.
- While you are in the hospital, keep your drawings to yourself. Things will go downhill fast if you don't, and you won't get the help you need.
- Stop fucking with people's heads. They aren't your playtoys and you will regret it later. Treat people with kindness and respect and integrity. Stop being reckless with their emotions, and stop being reckless with yours.
- You are beautiful. You are not too fat. The modeling industry is absolutely insane. Do not starve yourself to fit their ideals. You won't be able to anyway, because you have actual breast tissue that you can't diet off and hip bones that are wide and will never fit in sample sizes. You will never be a size 2. You will never be smaller than a size 6, and that is perfectly okay. Stop chasing that dream and focus on being healthy and learning good eating and exercise habits.
- Learn to let things go. Not just emotional things, but physical ones. You will wind up in deep trouble if you don't.
- Don't get three credit cards and max them out, thinking the good job will last forever. It won't, and you won't have much to show for it. Invest wisely, save some money, and stop buying crap you don't need.
- You won't be married by the time you are 30. Don't hang everything on that.
- The house on Second Street is haunted. Don't rent it.
- Tell someone about your brother. Tell someone about the gangs and the drugs. Tell someone about the way he hits you. You don't need to put up with that anymore.
- It is going to be okay. It isn't going to go as you planned, but it is going to be okay. You will meet some awesome people and have some amazing experiences.
I love you, just as you are,
AB
____________________________________________________
And now, quoting from
arkhamrefugee:"I challenge you readers to post your own letters to yourselves, circa 15 years ago."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Your Awesomeness Never Fails to Amaze Me..
Date: 2009-11-22 09:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-22 10:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-22 10:10 pm (UTC)Love you!
no subject
Date: 2009-11-22 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-22 10:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-22 11:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-22 11:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-23 01:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-23 02:04 am (UTC)Go with Joy to Durango.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-23 03:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-23 05:20 am (UTC)Any friend of
no subject
Date: 2009-11-23 02:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-23 11:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-25 11:14 pm (UTC)I think I might try this, thanks!
(psst! happy Turkey Day, lady! Go ye and get some tryptophan!)