A Letter to Me
So...Brad Paisley (country singer) has a great song that's been out for a while called (If I Could Write A) Letter to Me. The song is about how if the adult Brad could write a letter to his 17 year old self, he would, and impart some wisdom on him as a teen that he now has as an adult.
Some friends had some fun recently posting their letters to themselves on their blogs, so here is mine:
Dear 17 Year-Old Marni,
You are about to be 37 years old. I know you think that's like a geezer-kind-of-old, but it's not! You will enjoy your thirties immensely! A lot has gone on in the 20 years that separates the you then and the me now. And I have some words of wisdom and some words of advice for you:
Keep studying Spanish. You will kick yourself later for not becoming fluent. Ditto for piano lessons. But I do have to give you kudos on taking a typing class rather than Physics. Wave Particle Duality would not have landed you the cool Tech Writing jobs that your typing skills did :)
College is fun, but Scholastic Probation is not. Remember that. And when you see that you have Dr. McCoy for your scary math class, ask for a drop slip right off and save yourself about 3 months of panic attacks...
You're going to meet, fall in love with and marry a wonderful man. You will go on to have beautiful daughters and through them, you will experience the biggest highs and the lowest lows parenting can offer...but the highs far outweigh the lows, so stay focused and brave.
Speaking of being brave...you know what a worry-wart and fraidy-cat you've been your entire childhood and young adult life? Your future hero and knight in shining armor, Jesus, is going to free you of that. Jesus is actually going to free you of a lot of things once you get it together and start following Him later on in your twenties. It's a crazy ride He takes you on, but again, SO worth it.
Teaching is not for you. Own up to that and drop the Education classes before you waste more of your student loan money.
Don't buy the cute little black Ford when you're 21. It will become a money pit.
Don't pick the flowery wall paper for the bathroom in your first home. It becomes a real thorn in your flesh when you go to remove it 7 years later.
When Dane (that's your awesome husband) takes you for your first trip to Vegas and you are playing video blackjack at the Dunes, put ALL 5 QUARTERS IN each time you play. Trust me :)
Go give Michael a huge hug and tell him you love him and are glad he's your friend. And be sure and answer ALL his letters to you while he's overseas. Yes, he joins the Army, but it makes him happy so don't rag on him about it.
Go get your nails done before Labor Day weekend 1990. Dane's gonna put a huge rock on your finger that weekend and you're gonna be irritated your nails looked crummy as you're showing the ring off to friends and family.
Give up junk food. It doesn't effect you now, but it catches up to you after you start having babies and your metabolism tanks and that sucks.
And ALWAYS remember and NEVER FORGET, with prayer and patience, "this too shall pass".
Love,
Future Marni
