1.
There will be days when your best friends are all in love
and you have been alone for three years.
These days will be hard, they will hurt,
they will sting with a blighting injustice
not felt since
Nathaniel Whatshisname broke all the crayons
in your 64-pack way back in kindergarten.
You will survive this.

2.
You are worth so much, I promise.
I firmly believe you will be okay.
You have so much love to give.
Don't spend it immediately on the
first stranger
who walks in and smiles at you.
The ensuing self-loathing
is not a form of medication.

3.
Being sad will happen often.
Having the opportunity to be involved in
the beautiful miracle of living happens
only once.
Do not give this up for anything.
Do not set yourself on fire.
Do not crash your car into the telephone pole.
Do not drink your body weight in tequila.

4.
It's okay to drink yourself to sleep
with NyQuil
every once in a while.
I know it's easier than lying for hours alone
in your massively empty bed
thinking of everything you'll never have.
Do not make this false sleep a habit.
This summer may not be yours, but your
life is.

5.
You are not obligated to tell anyone
anything.
I cannot stress enough
how important you are.
You must find something that makes
all the voiceless screaming in your head
a little more bearable
and you must clutch it in your bones
with every ounce of strength you have.