dear college me, take advantage of being...

July 8th, 2011

Zoom

dear college me,

take advantage of being seventeen & out on your own. even if the confines are less than ideal, you’ll miss the atmosphere, the company & the ability to make the most glorious fro-yo cones between the hours of 11-2 & 5-8 pm M-F.
waking up with a hickey the size & color of a red apple will simultaneously set up the best & worst life lesson in regards to potential suitors.
showing up at said bastard’s dorm room with your bff in tow at 8 a.m. the morning after hickey obtainment will be one of the best decisions of your life.
that boy, the one who “loved” you in high school, he doesn’t really know what love is.
take advantage of internships. you’ll regret not having them on your resume when you finish grad. school.
your trip to australia, fiji, & new zealand will exceed every expectation ten-fold (& when you attempt to dance [& make faces] like an aborigine, re-think that plan.) (& when you volunteer to milk a cow on stage in front of your 200+ newfound kiwi friends, well, re-think that idea, too!)
tell that guy what you really think before it’s too late. you won’t take him seriously when he asks you to move back & marry him if you wait too long.
piercing your nose will be short-lived.
don’t be scared of the walk of shame. embrace it. get outta that house ASAP.
you know that tempting tattoo?…you’ll survive without it.
running away to california for a semester will do more harm than good.
run away regardless. you’ll learn more in those 4 months out west than you will being depressed in your cracker box of a dorm room.
be more blunt. though you might not think it’s possible, ask those questions, state those concerns, & show true emotions for those in which you genuinely care. If you don’t, the next thing you know, it’ll be the week after graduation & you’ll be sad you never approached them..
that boy, the one who shows up randomly at your house to do laundry, who calls just to hang out, who charms you with his athletic skills, & who makes you laugh with his oh, so random thoughts- years later he’ll still be just a friend, so stop thinking it can be more!
tell mom & dad you love them each & every day. there will be events that occur post-graduation when you’ll be left wondering, “do they know? do they really know?”
doing a keg stand directly after a hay-rack ride only sets you up for pure [& unforgettably awesome] embarrassment.
visit your relatives when you can-once you leave the state of corn, you won’t see them for ~~days months~~ years.
continue your 5:30 a.m. work-outs. in fact, adopt a lifestyle of two-a-days. maybe your legs will actually look more like Carrie Underwood’s & less like tree-trunks in the future!
make this time your own. it’s ok to be independently selfish.
you’ll only keep in touch with 1/16 of the people you talk to on a day-to-day basis.
take advantage of the $140 rent. it’ll never be that low again.
keep faith in everything. there will come a time in your life when it seems that’s all you have. spend time every day being thankful for the abundant life you live.
call your brothers as often as you can. you’ll never see eye-to-eye on some subjects, but someday you’ll realize that they accept you for you- big bows, quirky eating habits, an irrational attraction to reality t.v. (ahem bachelor…) & all.
skip class more often. nobody remembers a perfect attendance…well, except you.