The Letter...

If I could write a letter to myself, and send it back in time to my teenage years, what would it say?

Dear Me,

Yes. This is a letter from you. The future you. How do you know it's really me... err, you?

Well, when you were twelve years old you fell off the roof of the school, and nobody else knows about that but John. Don't worry, your kidneys will stop hurting.

Still not convinced? Well how about this? You don't play sports in school because you think all the jock football and baseball players are assholes.

Now that you know it's really you, I just wanted to pass along a few things I think you need to know.

You will make some stupid mistakes, but you'll learn from them.

I know you'll never believe it, but Joe Montana will not always be a Forty-Niner. Crazy, huh?

Cherish your friends. You won't have many truly close ones, and some of them will not live to twenty.

Give Grandpa a few extra hugs. And make sure he knows you love him. He will go pretty quickly, and you'll always hate yourself for it if you don't. Trust me.

Even though you'll be older when Grandma dies, it won't be any easier. But she's got a lot more years left.

Put the five bucks back in Grandma's purse. If you don't, you'll still feel guilty about it in seventeen years.

The Army is going to piss you off, but join anyway. You won't be able to replace all of the things you'll learn, and it'll make you stronger.

Your first marriage is going to be a miserable failure, but do it anyway and don't let it discourage you. You will learn a lot about what not to do, and what not to put up with, and your second marriage will be much happier and healthier for it.

The girls you think are right for you, won't be. The one you take a chance on because you don't know if she's right for you, will be.

Don't worry about the F in Algebra. You're right, Mr. Jones is an ass. You'll have a teacher who actually TEACHES next year and you'll get an A.

Don't wait until you're thirty to start college. It's too long.

Every time you think things can't get any worse, they will. But it always gets better later.

Every time you think life can't get any better, it will.

Don't do anything too extremely stupid, and obviously you'll still be in one piece to write this letter (bumps, bruises and scars aside).

Hang in there kid, it's gonna be a wild ride.

Yours,

Me (You)