Growing Up In Oz

I am so excited that my friends on twitter didn’t look at me like I’m crazy when I said I wanted us all to write letters to our younger selves. Well, maybe they did look at me like I was crazy but I can’t see them through the computer & lots agreed to play, so I’m excited. Make sure to link up & get the code for the “blog hop” (I HATE that term, by the way) so we can read everyone’s letters.

QUICK EDIT: The letters will be up all week, so feel free to link up whenever you can!

Now, on to the good stuff.

Dear Joanna at 7 years old,

Moving away to Texas and leaving all of your family is going to be one of the hardest things that has happened to you in your short life. It will be tough to grow apart from aunts, uncles & cousins but it will bring your immediate family so close together. Eventually, Texas will become home… you build a wonderful life. You go to school, get married & have a baby in Texas. There is a reason for everything and your dad made this move for you to have the wonderful life that you have today. Enjoy it.

Dear Joanna at 9 years old,

You are about to experience bullying for the first time. The boys in school with call you things like Big Red & Thunder Thighs. It will hurt your heat and you will feel worthless. You are so much more than those names. You are incredibly smart and have a good heart. This will not be the first time kids are mean or your feelings are hurt. I know it’s tough, but you will get through it and you are worth it. Keep this in mind.

Dear Joanna at 13 years old,

Please stop perming your hair. And wearing vests. Totally not helping your cause. You have just met a very important friend. You two will be close for many years. You will fight & make-up like dramatic teenage girls do. You will eventually drift apart during college but find each other again years later when you are both married and expecting your first children. Your daughters will be best friends and you will be so thankful to have her back in your life.

Dear Joanna at 15 years old,

Seriously consider taking drivers ed sooner than a month before you turn 16 because let’s face it, you are scared shitless of driving and driving alone scares you even more. You are going to develop your first older man crush. It will cause you to do many stupid things over the course of the next few years. Still do them. It will eventually make you look back and laugh at yourself but in a completely good way.

Dear Joanna at 17 years old,

Please don’t date the guy you are about to date. I know he’s older & cute but he’s oh so dumb. Anyone who writes “sumpthing” and thinks it is correct should not be on your radar, no matter how much you adore his curly hair.

Dear Joanna at 18 years old,

You made it to college and you are about to meet some of the most important & influential friends you’ve ever had. Don’t change a thing, you had fun, did stupid things & made it out alive. Cherish every moment and every step off the winding path, don’t wish it away because you are “done with school.” Your life is about to be thrown a major blow and you will be so glad that you really lived during college. You will look back at this time as the best of your life.

Dear Joanna at 20 years old,

You are about to face cancer. Your mortality is going to be served up to you on a plate & its scary. You will go to sleep at night worrying that you are never going to get married & have a family. You will be strong for everyone else but you will be breaking down inside. You will learn so much from this experience. You’ll learn the importance of a doctor having a good bedside manner. You will learn that you can be bald and still get hit on. You will learn that sometimes the small things do matter. You will learn about how many people really care about you. Everything will end great and you will have that family. Let yourself feel everything during this experience because it will change you…… for the better.

Dear Joanna at 22 years old,

That nagging feeling that you have in the back of your mind about wanting to move back to Dallas? Don’t ignore it & don’t feel bad about it. You aren’t running away from anything. That move will put you back near your family. It will allow you to meet the man you’ll marry and it will allow you to build your life with him having the people you love most just a few minutes away. It is a good decision, follow your heart.

Dear Joanna at 24 years old,

Despite what everyone tells you, follow your heart again and move in with that guy that you’re crazy about. I know it has only been 4 months of dating. I know NOBODY understands. But you two get each other, you have an amazing connection that you’ve never felt before. Go with it.

Dear Joanna at 25 years old,

SAVE YOUR MONEY DAMMIT. Yes, that house is beautiful & you will love living in it. But for the love of God, stay in that apartment for another year or two and save up your money.

Dear Joanna at 26 years old,

Get ready for a major life change. I know you think you may not be able to have babies from all the chemo & radiation and that even if you do it will probably take a long time to conceive but you are OH so wrong. You are going to get knocked up in about 5.2 seconds and life as you know it, will never be the same.

Dear Joanna at 27 years old,

You are about to be a mom. You will never know a love like this. I know it is hard, but try to see past the despair & sleep deprivation. You WILL be able to pack the diaper bag and get out of the house with both you & the baby in clothes. Your baby will cry in public and you won’t be able to stop her. She will have fits where you don’t know what’s wrong too, but it WILL all be okay. You will be an amazing mom. The tears will stop eventually (both yours & hers). You will fall in love with motherhood. Stop second guessing yourself and try to breathe. There is an end to the madness and its great.

Post Script:
When I originally thought of this assignment I kept thinking about all the “advice” I’d have for my younger self and how many things I’d talk about doing differently. And then I sat down to write and I didn’t really tell myself to do anything differently. (Aside from buying the house & that isn’t even a regret so much as a “you never know whats going to happen and a nice safety net would be a good thing). What did y’all learn from writing this letter? Did it end up going down in words the way you originally thought??

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