A Letter to My Younger Self

Dear younger me,

First things first: that haircut in 2019? It grows back. Relax.

Now, the important stuff.

You're going to spend a lot of time comparing yourself to other people. Their jobs, their travels, their seemingly perfect lives on Instagram. I wish I could tell you to stop, but I know you won't — not yet. So instead I'll tell you this: every single person you're comparing yourself to is also comparing themselves to someone else. It's turtles all the way down. The only way to win is to stop playing.

You're going to get your heart broken. More than once. And each time you'll think you won't recover. You will. You'll recover stronger, softer, and with a much better understanding of what you actually need from love (which, spoiler alert, is very different from what you think you want right now).

That job you're stressed about not getting? You'll get a different one that's better in every way. That trip you can't afford? You'll take it two years later and it'll be perfect timing. That friendship that's falling apart? Some friendships are chapters, not the whole book. And that's okay.

Take more photos. Call grandma more. Say yes to the scary things. Say no to the things that drain you, even if everyone else is saying yes.

You're going to be fine. Better than fine. You're going to build a life you actually love — one weird, unexpected, beautiful piece at a time.