Dear Me

Look at you, angry at your parents, your friends, your teachers. Thinking the world has let you down. You think everyone is being difficult but the truth is, you do need to study more, and think about boys less, (because believe me there is plenty of time for that).

You are beautiful but relatively short and a bit too thin. You feel awkwardness about your body, like the bits don’t really fit together. Try and enjoy what you have been given, because down the track you will grow into yourself and develop beautiful womanly curves which you won’t like either.

Appreciate your mother, she really does love you and she tries. You are a difficult teenager and have a lot of anger towards her, so she is only doing her best. One day she’ll apologise to you for being a bad mother and you will confidently tell her she was a great one. You’ll even become friends, and when you move to the country you will miss her every day.

Try and establish a better and more constant relationship with your dad. You both have very similar personalities whether you like it or not. You’ll always regret those car trips at seventeen and eighteen where you both go for miles without saying one word to each other. He means well and when you feel as though there is nothing to say to him remember how much you love and idolise him and you’ll find the words.

Say ‘no’ to that first cigarette… and to drugs. You think you’ll never be the girl that gives in to peer pressure, but it will get you eventually, silly girl. Just say no, so when you get to my age you won’t have to wonder how you actually made it through that stage of your life alive. And quitting smoking is a very unpleasant experience.

Exams are not the be all and end all, but they’re easier if you study. You won’t get into Journalism at Curtin because the reality is you never tried as hard as you should have. Please study a bit harder, you are a chronic underachiever and that is why you never reached that goal.

Go for the man who makes you laugh. In a few years you will fall for a dangerous, mystical type, and if you can avoid him, then you will be a lot happier and less easily led. You’ll know who he is as soon as you see him, the dark and broody one that promises you things to only let you down. He will teach you a lot but you will regret meeting him. Years down the track he will still reappear when you close your eyes.

You think no-one could ever love you right now and you will die alone. But you will meet him, the one that makes you laugh, the one who changes you forever.

Stop being so angry. Quit smoking. Love you parents. Stop obsessing over things. Be yourself. Keep listening to your heart over your head. You were always good at that.

Love Me