Monday, June 25, 2012

Letter to Myself - 5 Years Ago

LIFE OF MEG

20sb (20 Something Bloggers) is five years old! It's a blogging community I've been a part of for probably about a year and a half now, and it is probably one of the best things I've ever done for the blog. 

To celebrate, they asked for people to write a letter to themselves 5 years ago.

Eeek.

Five years ago was the summer before my senior year at Concorida. The summer I turned 21, road-tripped to St. Louis with six friends for a wedding, helped as a young adult volunteer at the National Youth Gathering, Vacation Bible School, visiting family in Indiana, my first high school friend got married... I can't believe that was 5 years ago. Crazy!

So... here goes nothing I guess.


Me on my 21st - I blame my lack of style on hanging out with too many boys.
I think the arm belongs to my friend Aaron.
Emily-


First, on your birthday don't try the rum and coke. Even though you ask them to be light on the rum, they won't listen and it's gross. Go for something sweeter, like amaretto stone sour. Trust me, you'll love it and you'll be drinking one every Wednesday at Molly's this upcoming school year.


This year is a big one. Your final year at Concordia, internship is coming up, and you have no idea where you're going to be a year from now. It's stressful, but fun too. Some advice:

Take careful notes and actually listen to Dr. E and Bill. I know you think you listen to them, but you really don't. You think your notes make sense - but trust me they don't. When you are on internship you are going to be BEGGING them to teach you EVERYTHING all over again.

Stop comparing yourself to all of the other girls on campus. Concordia has a messed up view of happiness and marriage. Being single isn't a bad thing. It's pretty great actually.

Speaking of which - stop worrying about that guy. Yeah - THAT GUY. You know EXACTLY who I'm talking about. Warning you now, A LOT of drama is going to happen in the next couple of years. It'll turn out just fine, but seriously just get over it now. It's not going to happen. He'll still be one of your BFFs in the future and it's awesome. And... you're beautiful. Don't ever think otherwise.

Also, guard your heart and emotions. Getting overly involved in other people's emotions is really draining and it tends to make your family and friends worry about you. Be there for your friends and support them, but take care of yourself too.

The real world is... different. It's a HUGE change from life at Concordia. You're not going to have people just down the hall or across campus to hang out with at the drop of a hat. It's going to be tough. Learn to be happy being by yourself sometimes, it's good for you.

Go easy on your sister. Please.

Whatever you do - DON'T PUT MEDICAL BILLS ON A CREDIT CARD. Figure out your financial situation. Just... do it. And when you have issues - GO GET HELP.

When you put the church name in the GPS... make sure it's in Virginia- not Maryland. And if you do, at least it's a great story.

Friendships change, and it's okay.

You think you know all about ministry and church work right after you leave CUC - you don't. Get over yourself.

Stop stressing. It'll work out. Don't think about what "it" is... cause it all will work out.

Meet new people. Make new friends. If you don't, you'll regret it later.

Join the community theatre while on internship. It's pretty awesome.

NaNoWriMo is AMAZING and you're going to look forward to it every single November.

One day you're going to have to say no. It's hard and it sucks. But you can do it, and don't worry- it's for the best. I promise.

You'll have doubts along the way, and they might not get resolved. Learn to be content. Dream big. Help other people. Love.

And just keep going. You're doing okay. Sometimes it doesn't feel like you are, but you are. Trust me.

Emily


This post is submitted as a part of the 20SB 5th Birthday Blog Carnival, sponsored by GlassesUSA.com.Submit your own post here.

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20 comments:

  1. I love posts like these! I wrote one to my fifteen year old self recently, and it really is eye opening to see how life has changed. Regardless of what happened five years ago, it sounds like it was all for a reason. Hope life is happy for you now!

    Stopping by from Mingle Monday. Hope you have a lovely week my dear!

    xoxo,
    Joelle

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    1. UGH looking back at my life when I was 15... now that's a scary thought! Lol. But it is a cool eye-opening thing to really see how far you've come and how life has changed.

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  2. I love these types of letters. It's always nice to take a look at where you were and where you are and measure the progress. I could definitely have used some of this advice for myself. Friendships to change. Sisters do need a break, every now and then. ;)

    Lor

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    1. Yup. My sister and I lived together when I first moved to Missouri for about 2 years. I'm really glad she was there because it would have been SO HARD without her. Looking back I know I was really hard on her about some things.

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  3. I agree with the other girls, I like letters like these! I will have to check out the 20 something bloggers! Sounds pretty neat, would love to know more about it! I hope you have a great day! xo

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    1. 20sb is AMAZING! I've gotten to know so many other bloggers and really extended my network. I love it so much. Better Blogger Network is awesome too!

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  4. Hi from Mingle Monday! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier!! I love your letter to yourself. If only we could actually do this right, would save a lot of heartach. Some of your points and advice are things I think anyone could appreciate, me included. :)

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    1. Right? Sigh. Sometimes I wish we could go back and change things. But at the same time - that's how you learn. So... there we go I guess! Lol.

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  5. Hi! Following from Mingle Monday! Look forward to reading more! Would appreciate the follow back! Have a great day!
    -Kat

    http://mom-uncensored.blogspot.com

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    1. Yay Mingle Monday! Don't you love how many new friends you can find through there? :)

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  6. Just found you via the blog hop, this post is awesome and I LOVE your header! I'm your newest follower and can't wait to read more!

    Carly
    www.lipglossandcrayons.com

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    1. Yay! I saw that you followed me and I wanted to send you a welcome email but I couldn't find your address. So I'll stop by your blog and say hi! :D

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  7. Blogging certainly rocks! One of the best things I've ever done as well! Keep up the great posts! :)
    http://insunshineandshadowsmew.blogspot.com/

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  8. I love the ending... just keep going. You are doing okay.
    I don't think we hear that nearly enough.

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  9. Found you through Meg's Mingle Monday and loved this letter!!

    I haven't been on 20sb in a long time so I had no clue about this (or the birthday) and even though the contest is over, I am still doing this. I was going through a really rough time and have come such a far way since then.

    That last line is incredible, by the way!

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    1. Thanks! I'm not super involved on 20sb lately, but I still read their blogs and check out the forums sometime. I think 20sb is how I found Meg's blog lol. And yeah, it's a great idea. While I don't need glasses or anything (that's what the prize is I think for the giveaway...) I wanted to participate anyway because it was a really good idea. :)

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  10. I love this letter! I think it takes a lot of courage to reflect back and write a letter like this. When I think back to my 21 year old self there's a lot of advice I'd give, lol.

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