- Dream big. I don’t care if it’s absolutely ridiculous or even completely unrealistic. Dream big, anyway. Once high school (and I guess college) is over, you won’t have the soul to dream like that again.
- Embrace who you are, even if it means you’re not part of the norm. Embrace yourself, anyway. The world’s a cruel place. High school’s even crueler. There’s this weird Catch-22 thing where if you don’t embrace your identity, no one else will. Which sucks because throughout my first two years of high school, I wanted for someone to embrace who I am before I could embrace myself. Didn’t worked out too well; I could’ve saved myself a lot of stress and angst.
- Accept the fact that you will change. That the you who entered high school very likely will not be the you who graduates. You will grow more than you could possibly imagine, and the best part? Your most important lessons will not be taught in the classroom.
- Remember where you came from. Some of us like to follow the current trends, without regard to our parents, our friends, and even ourselves. Me? I came from a family that used to have 4 people living in one room. Sometimes, just forcing myself to remember my past allows me to contemplate my actions. (Would the me from 5 years ago agree to this? Would my parents, who toiled for their money, approve of me spending like this? Would my family, who struggled to afford me an American education, be proud of who I am?)
- Understand that, at times, life will suck. Maybe even really suck. Understand that you aren’t necessarily expected to come up with a “correct” solution or be prepared. It’s the fall that allows us to grow. Now that I think about it, I feel bad for the kindergarteners who aren’t even allowed to play tag now. Poor kids won’t know what it’s like to get up, dust themselves off, and keep going.
- Never regret. It doesn’t matter how stupid the decision is. Don’t regret because it’s a learned lesson. It’s a mistake you won’t forget.
To the man who agreed to let his loved one go,
I’m sorry we couldn’t do more. I’m sorry we haven’t been able to figure out why, or how, or how to fix it. I’m sorry