Dear 2nd Grade Me,










You just moved to a new school, you will know absolutely no-one. Don’t let this bother you. Be confident. Don’t make a face when you realize how different you are than everyone else. When you see that while everyone else is wearing jeans and dirty t-shirts, while you are wearing khaki shorts and a pastel colored shirt. Do not judge people based on this, sooner or later, you will be wearing the same things.

You will a group of kids playing near a pile of dirt, and will come to realize that this is a normal thing to do in this very, strange town. Suddenly, one girl will stop what she is doing, and run in your direction. The girl will start to go on and on about her life, and the principal is going to tell her to give you a tour. Don’t try to shy away from her, just go.

This is a time in life where if you hadn’t taken this chance, your life would have been completely different. This is where you meet your “best” friend...or so think.

This girl will keep talking, and talking, and talking. This would have a good time for you to speak up. Stop being so shy and insecure, don’t keep your mouth shut like usual. Speak up!


You often tend to do this. You keep your opinions to yourself, because of a fear of being judged, or feeling like you are wrong. You can’t be wrong. An opinion is an opinion. They are all different. People will walk all over you in life, you can’t let this happen. The loud girl you met, has not told you her name, yet you will feel that you already know her. says so many things in such little time. There are so many questions that you want to ask, but you keep them to yourself, as always. Conversations that you never actually have play out in your head. You wish that they could go like they do when you imagine. But, whenever you try to talk, she talks for you. This is what you end up liking about her. She does the talking for you, and leaves you with little to say.

Later in life, you will try to be someone that you are not. When the most popular girl in school asks if you want to sit with her rather than the “losers you normally hang out with”, decline and say that you would rather hang out with losers than with a backstabbing b****. When rumors go around that you yelled at her, don’t freak out, let people assume that you of all people wouldn’t do this. Don’t get the principal involved, don’t be a tattletale. And most of all, certainly do not go home crying to your mommy.

Life will will throw situations that you that you do not want to deal with. Situations where you have to choose whether or not to give into peer pressure, or whether to speak up when you see the older kids smoking a cigarette behind the building. That girl you thought was your “best” friend, will turn on you, and ignore you for her boyfriend, and drugs. Don’t dwell on what you could have done to save the friendship. Yes, you had been friends since second grade, and yes you had shared so much with each other, but some friendships just aren't
meant to be. You’ll be fine. Let it go. What you need to know most of all, dear. Is that, life is full of choices. Some of which you will regret ever making, and some of which will impact you for the rest of your life. You need to be able to know when is the right time to
speak up, and when is the right time to keep your mouth shut, and keep moving along with your life. God knows you need this advice more than anyone.



Don’t be shy.

With Warmest Regards,
Your Future Self