I heard a song before church that talked about what I’d tell
a younger me. I wanted to hear/ read the
Dear Younger me lyrics again so I searched for it and what I found was that
there are actually a LOT of songs with messages related to what people would
tell themselves if they were writing a letter to themselves in the past based
on the information they know now… some I had heard before and forgotten about (like
Brad Paisley’s Letter to Me song) and others I had never heard previously. And the reality is that it is common to
reflect on the lessons we have learned in our lives and what we would have told
to ourselves in the past. I know for
sure that in my own life there are a lot of messages I would try to convey to myself
when I was younger. If I was writing a
letter to myself in the past it would definitely include some of the following
thoughts/ messages…
- On all of the days when you wonder why things are happening, just keep looking ahead and never stop hoping to try to make a difference.
- The death of a student will always break your heart, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth still loving students with all that you have. And because you never know when anyone might die, always make the most of each day and each interaction with every student.
- It’s ok to ask for help. You cannot do it all alone!
- Be thankful! It is so easy to take things for granted and yet you have been blessed with so much more than you deserve. Focus on all the little and big things that you have been lucky enough to have going well in your life today. (Write down a list of what you are thankful for – it helps you to focus on your gratitude.)
- Drinking more water makes a huge difference.
- It is ok to cry when you are happy or when you are sad – emotions do not make you weak – they show the depth of your strength!
- Getting a dog will change your life so much and the love she will bring to your life is totally worth all of the work required to train her. She will help fill a place of loneliness you don’t even know exists in your life. (So quit making a million pro/ con lists about the benefits/ drawbacks of getting a dog and just go for it already.)
- Be patient! You are not very good at this and it doesn’t help you in the long run. So breathe, try to relax, and understand that just because something isn’t happening on your timeline doesn’t mean that it is the end of the world.
- Don’t let the paperwork requirements of the job get in the way of the time and opportunity to connect with students. Make every effort to truly get to know them and talk to them as much as they will allow because you never know which ones need you the most. All of them are important and you never know what their lives are like until you continue asking and checking in on them. Paperwork can wait and you can always do that after hours and on the weekends.
- Your family will drive you crazy sometimes, but they are your family. Love them, just as they are.
- When your loved ones – family or friends that are like family die, the memories they leave in your heart will never leave and finding people to be able to talk about them and share memories and stories of things they had loved will be helpful and healing.
- Never miss out on any chance to hug, kiss, snuggle, read books, play games or listen to the stories from your niece and nephews because soon they will be “too old” for wanting to spend time with their aunt.
The reality is that many of these messages are as applicable
to me today as they would have been to me in the past.
Perhaps you are still too young to have the feelings about
what you’d want to tell yourself in the past – I’m not sure. But I’d like to challenge you to pause for a
few minutes and think about it. What
would you tell to yourself 5 or 10 years ago?
What would you tell yourself as you entered middle school? If you are a senior preparing to enter your
final semester of high school, what would you tell to yourself when you were
just getting started at WKHS? Would you
tell yourself to take school more seriously?
What would you say about your note-taking and study habits? What would you tell yourself about getting involved
in high school activities? What would
you say about life, guys/ girls, your parents or siblings? I am really interested in hearing your
thoughts on this so while I will make it the question of the day soon, I’d like
for you to share your reflections any time you see me!
Here are some articles that I had saved which fit the theme
of “what I wish I knew” and might interest you:
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