17 Things: from 27-year-old me to 17-year-old me
I'm turning 27 this week.
There's nothing magical about 27, or any age for that matter. But 27 does sound particularly "adult" to me. It's crossing the threshold into the late twenties. It's only a few years away from 30. It's the age my mom was when she had me (her second baby). I'm not old enough to be a mom, right?
When I was in high school, I used to imagine myself meeting my future husband in college, married by 22, kids as soon as possible after that, etc., etc. As it often does, life had other plans for me. And thank God it (He) did, because I didn't even meet my now-husband until I was 22 and a half.
But my 17-year-old self didn't know what my life would look like when I was 27. I couldn't have dreamt it if I had tried. I often find myself thinking about the things that I thought were important when I was younger, the earth-shattering experiences that brought my emotions to a standstill, the highest highs that made made me feel like I could conquer the world--or at least my world. When I reflect on what those moments were now, I think "how silly" or "how ridiculous." But at the time, that was all I knew. Those moments were defining. No matter how silly they seem now, I wouldn't be who I am today without them.
It's a common trope in literature and film to send an "adult character" back in time to talk to its "child" or "younger" version of itself. And because I was an English major in college, I find myself wondering about this myself...if I could travel back to 2006, what would 27-year-old Leslie say to 17-year-old Leslie?
17 Things 27-year-old Leslie would say to 17-year-old Leslie:
1. Grades are important. But your health and well-being are more important.
2. Sleep more (see #1).
3. Drive more carefully. You don't always have to be in such a hurry.
4. Learn to eat healthy. You won't always have a metabolism like that.
5. Never take dancing for granted. Enjoy it even when you're tired, hurting, and frustrated, because you won't be a dancer forever.
6. Since you won't be a dancer forever, learn how to exercise outside of dance class. Go the gym. Start running. Get good at swimming or tennis or soccer. Establish an exercise routine.
7. Be much kinder to your mom. Her anger has very little to do with you.
8. Be less bossy to your little brothers. They will grow up to admire you, and it won't be because you told them what to do or what not to do.
9. Cherish your friendships, and be friends with people who are different from you. Your high school friendships might not last forever, but they will help to shape the kind of friend you become as an adult.
10. Take notes in church. You'll want to remember some of those sermons later.
11. Your music selection is still on point, 10 years later. Well...most of it, anyway.
12. Journal more often.
13. It's okay to have emotions. Let yourself feel things, sometimes--good and bad, happy and sad. God gave us emotions because He has them, too. The difficult part is learning how to respond to your emotions. Pretending you don't have them is just a bandaid, and will end up hurting other people and, eventually, yourself too.
14. The Notebook is still a terrible movie. And Nicholas Sparks is still a terrible author. You weren't wrong about that.
15. But maybe don't be so opinionated about so many things. It is important to be able to hear, understand, and respect someone else's ideas about something, even if you passionately disagree. You don't always have to voice your opinion. Sometimes you just need to listen.
16. Even though everyone makes a little bit of fun of you for always having your camera with you, and they get a little bit annoyed at all the pictures you take, they will thank you one day...probably at your 10 year high school reunion when all the pictures you took resurface. So don't you even think about setting down that camera.
17. You don't know everything. In fact, you know very little. You'll spend the next 10 years realizing how little you knew when you were 17, and how little you still know now at 27. Intentionally learn from other people, and learn to love and value what other people bring to the table. Differences are what make our world our world. Embrace them.
There's nothing magical about 27, or any age for that matter. But 27 does sound particularly "adult" to me. It's crossing the threshold into the late twenties. It's only a few years away from 30. It's the age my mom was when she had me (her second baby). I'm not old enough to be a mom, right?
When I was in high school, I used to imagine myself meeting my future husband in college, married by 22, kids as soon as possible after that, etc., etc. As it often does, life had other plans for me. And thank God it (He) did, because I didn't even meet my now-husband until I was 22 and a half.
But my 17-year-old self didn't know what my life would look like when I was 27. I couldn't have dreamt it if I had tried. I often find myself thinking about the things that I thought were important when I was younger, the earth-shattering experiences that brought my emotions to a standstill, the highest highs that made made me feel like I could conquer the world--or at least my world. When I reflect on what those moments were now, I think "how silly" or "how ridiculous." But at the time, that was all I knew. Those moments were defining. No matter how silly they seem now, I wouldn't be who I am today without them.
It's a common trope in literature and film to send an "adult character" back in time to talk to its "child" or "younger" version of itself. And because I was an English major in college, I find myself wondering about this myself...if I could travel back to 2006, what would 27-year-old Leslie say to 17-year-old Leslie?
17 Things 27-year-old Leslie would say to 17-year-old Leslie:
1. Grades are important. But your health and well-being are more important.
2. Sleep more (see #1).
3. Drive more carefully. You don't always have to be in such a hurry.
4. Learn to eat healthy. You won't always have a metabolism like that.
5. Never take dancing for granted. Enjoy it even when you're tired, hurting, and frustrated, because you won't be a dancer forever.
6. Since you won't be a dancer forever, learn how to exercise outside of dance class. Go the gym. Start running. Get good at swimming or tennis or soccer. Establish an exercise routine.
7. Be much kinder to your mom. Her anger has very little to do with you.
8. Be less bossy to your little brothers. They will grow up to admire you, and it won't be because you told them what to do or what not to do.
9. Cherish your friendships, and be friends with people who are different from you. Your high school friendships might not last forever, but they will help to shape the kind of friend you become as an adult.
10. Take notes in church. You'll want to remember some of those sermons later.
11. Your music selection is still on point, 10 years later. Well...most of it, anyway.
12. Journal more often.
13. It's okay to have emotions. Let yourself feel things, sometimes--good and bad, happy and sad. God gave us emotions because He has them, too. The difficult part is learning how to respond to your emotions. Pretending you don't have them is just a bandaid, and will end up hurting other people and, eventually, yourself too.
14. The Notebook is still a terrible movie. And Nicholas Sparks is still a terrible author. You weren't wrong about that.
15. But maybe don't be so opinionated about so many things. It is important to be able to hear, understand, and respect someone else's ideas about something, even if you passionately disagree. You don't always have to voice your opinion. Sometimes you just need to listen.
16. Even though everyone makes a little bit of fun of you for always having your camera with you, and they get a little bit annoyed at all the pictures you take, they will thank you one day...probably at your 10 year high school reunion when all the pictures you took resurface. So don't you even think about setting down that camera.
17. You don't know everything. In fact, you know very little. You'll spend the next 10 years realizing how little you knew when you were 17, and how little you still know now at 27. Intentionally learn from other people, and learn to love and value what other people bring to the table. Differences are what make our world our world. Embrace them.
Yes...much kinder. :) This is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou are beautiful.