Dear 16 Year Old Me...

Dear Megan,

You think you are hot shit right now. You have the coolest boyfriend, the coolest car, and the best friends in the world. You make good grades and you can kick some ass on the volleyball court. You can run on 5 hours of sleep and eat Hot Cheetos and a Coke for lunch every day. Guess what my dear? This stuff doesn't last forever.

Shortly after your 16th birthday, that hot boyfriend will dump you and it will flip your world upside down. It freaking sucks. You will cry about it every day and drown your sorrows in Eli Young Band songs and Taco Bell Crunch Wrap Supremes. You'll annoy the crap out of your friends by writing them notes during class saying "i miss him </3".

It'll pass though.

You'll finally get a car after driving Mom's old Yukon around for a year. You wanna know why you didn't get a car the second you turned 16? Because you couldn't and shouldn't have been trusted with a brand new car. You stupidly drank and drove on numerous occasions. You shouldn't have even been given the privilege to drive a car at all. However, luck had it for you to get caught. You're gonna hate Mom and Steve and think it's so unfair, but it'll be good for you. You'll learn responsibility. Don't be stupid with your new car.

Believe it or not, you needed a curfew. Not all nights, but most. Nothing good (or at least smart) happened after midnight. You're gonna drink and you're going to do stuff you shouldn't do and you're going to be really stupid. Have fun, but don't ever take your safety for granted. Somehow, by the grace of God, you didn't get into serious trouble.

Grades are important. Do your homework and push yourself to study a little. I'm proud of you for always making grades a priority. It'll pay off when you head to UT in a few years. You'll get into your dream school because you worked hard in high school. I can't say the same thing with volleyball. You'll quit junior year and won't miss it in the slightest. It's ok to give up on something your heart isn't into.

Crazily enough, the best friends you have now will be some of the best friends of your life. You'll drift apart in college some--it's an inevitable part of growing up, but you'll all remain great friends throughout your twenties. You'll make other best friends down the road, but just know that those girls from high school will love you and all of your faults. They'll forgive you for being a bad friend, they'll be there for you when you need them in the middle of the night, and they will let you cry to them about your boyfriend just like they did in high school.

You'll have your moments that make you feel inadequate. There will be times you'll feel like the biggest fuck up on the planet. Boys will treat you like crap. You'll feel ugly at times. School will bring you down. But guess what? That stuff won't matter down the road. Keep your head held high.

You have such a bright future down the road for you. You make think 16 is the happiest of year of your life, but just wait and see... Life gets so fun.

XO,
2014 Megan