Dear High Schooler,
Remember that summer you spent at home, occasionally going out with friends and worked a minimum wage, part-time retail job that you took too seriously? Remember that chance you had to spend by the beach in San Diego or somewhere much hotter…but didn’t because you had “work”? Well there’s 40+ years of work ahead and most of the time, your part-time job won’t be a life changer.
But remember that 2 month break you had that you didn’t maximize? The one where you just sat on the couch, played video games and watched time tick by? Those are the moments you’ll regret.
Last night I took a stroll with your boyfriend – yes you guys are still together despite the arguments (last week, you almost fought over a mushroom that fell behind the compost). I began to reflect on all those endless summer nights that you spent at home. Those nights where you stayed up till 3 am, can enjoy an entire McDonalds meal and not gain a single pound. Those nights that you didn’t spend traveling, learning, experiencing.
Drop all that. Those days will change. You’ll get a little older, a little more tired and have many more responsibilities. What you’ll have much less of is time.
It’s time you go on an adventure and let it all go. Be a kid, be a child even if you don’t feel like one. Enjoy yourself – I can guarantee you that you won’t regret it. What you’ll regret is when you have a full-time job, a mortgage, only 3 weeks of vacation and a family you’ll be saving for…and now you don’t have the time to get away and escape to the adventures of your past. During that simple stroll last night, I thought to myself, ‘if only this was 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have to worry about going to work the next day’.
Let me do the working. While I’m still young, I’m a little more ambitious. Let me do the thinking. I have a better idea of where I’m going and I’ll take you with me. You don’t have to worry about any of that.
So why don’t you just go on those adventures for me so we can enjoy it together in the future?
Olivia
Life Outside the Inbox 