Being left in the dorm. What I would tell myself.
Thirty-one years.
Is that possible?
Thirty-one years since my father said good-bye to me on a rainy, gray morning in Dallas, Texas. I turned and walked into the empty dormitory. Got to my room, curled up on my mattress and slept till my roommate arrived.
There I was…curled up on my little twin bed.
What would I say to that 18-year-old girl curled up on the bed?
* Stick with the salad bars. Okay, don’t think I gained the full freshman 10 but I came close.
* Be friendly. Talk with people. Everyone is raging with insecurities too. Sure there is the occasional mean jelly bean but most of the people you meet in college and life are truly wonderful.
* People are different. There are extroverts and introverts and you fall somewhere in between. Be comfortable in the fact that you don’t need to be the life of the party. You are by nature an observer and thinker and that is why you will one day discover the need to pour things onto a blank page.
* You don’t have to be crazy in chemistry love with someone to go on a date with them. Have fun and go on dates with all those nice guys that ask you. When the time is right you will find the one. Until then — go out and have a good time.
* DON’T THINK SO MUCH. Except of course on exams. And think when you study for them.
* Study for exams. Well, more than the half hour before.
* Things just work out. Don’t worry. Each day is to be celebrated whether you are learning a tough lesson or lying in the sun.
* Build a huge bridge and get over yourself. The sooner you discover it really isn’t all about you, the happier you will be in life.
* Have fun. You’ll blink and 31 years will have passed and you’ll be sitting at keyboard writing this thing called a blog post — Sounding way too much like an old lady.
What would you tell your teenage self?
Linking up with Mama Kat: 1.) If I could tell my teenage self… (inspired by Le Musings of Moi)
