Hey You!

Southern Domestic Goddess recently shared a letter she had written to her 18-year-old self, and she wrote such a great letter that I just had to yank the idea.

Dear Erin,

I know that at 18, you think you have the world figured out, but trust me, you'll learn more in the next eight years than you ever thought possible. Most of it will be good, and remember, you can always handle the ones that are bad.

Go find a mirror and repeat after me: "I am NOT FAT." Seriously, you are not fat, and the very fact that you think you are is absolutely absurd. Look at the tag on the inside of your jeans. Size 1? Yeah, definitely not fat. So put down the salad and go drink a Steak n Shake milkshake. Or 12, even, you could stand to gain a few pounds. Enjoy your body. Flaunt that flat tummy and don't doubt yourself. And if you still think you're fat, head to the nearest karate studio and pay someone to karate chop you in the side of the head until you stop thinking that. In a few years, your narrow hips and flat tummy are going to soften into curves, but trust me when I say it'll be absolutely worth it.

Don't be afraid to love. Shane will be so good to you, I promise. You'll have your ups and downs, but he's not going ANYWHERE. Don't listen to people who tell you that you're too young to fall in love, that you need to play the field. You don't. He's the one.

Think about double majoring, or at least minoring in something outside of education. You'll love teaching, but although the thought of being a stay-at-home mom seems rather like the kiss of death to you now, you'll change your mind in six years, and you'll wish you had a degree that made you marketable in working from home. Just think about it.

I don't want to say too much more, because I feel like even the bad parts of life happen for a reason, but I will say this: be careful who you trust. Remember that the darkest hour of night is always followed by the dawn.

Love,
Yourself

p.s. The winning Powerball numbers for August 9, 2008 are 32 40 43 49 53 and 21


And just for the sheer humiliation of it, here's a photo of 18-year-old me adopting a ridiculous pose in the middle of a state forest in Brown County.