Hey.
It’s you. You’re 22. Yeah, you made it. Haha. This letter is for you. Some of the stuff you’re going to read in this, you will not want to hear. And I am sorry, but it’s going to help you out.
When you turn 15, a short while after, you’re going to meet a boy who is going to absolutely blow your mind. He will make you feel like you are the only girl in the whole world and will bring you some of the craziest fun you’ve ever had. It only lasts eight months. He f*cks you up for years after that. So please, please. When you go to that house party in February/March 2013, do not let him near you. I won’t go into it, and it does work out okay in the end if you decide to ignore this (which you will), but just don’t even bother. It is really not worth it.
As soon as you start having sex, please use protection. In fact, wait for a person you meet in 2016. Everything before that was WACK. If you do anything I ask in this letter, it’s that! Hahaha. Anyway, back to the contraception. You’re going to need protection against STIs. We’ve ended up with an irreversible form of a pelvic disease. I don’t want to scare you, so I’ll leave it there. But, just do it. Please.
When you turn 21, the month after, you will go to the doctors and ask some questions about your period (yeah, it’s still super heavy!) and he will be very dismissive. Two months later, you will be hospitalised and will be so close to death that you can feel it. Yeah. It was super scary. But Mum was there, your boyfriend was there and your best friend, too. But, I have something magnificent to tell you. After surgery, you have PTSD (this isn’t the amazing part) and so you start counselling. In 2020, you turn into the best version of yourself. That’s me now, and that’s why I’m writing to you with this. Because, at 22, you are everything that you have ever dreamed of.
Let me tell you some things which will reassure you…
- Your oldest sibling won’t be able to hurt you anymore. You cut them out when you turn 20. It’s the longest story ever, and when you get there, just have in the back of your mind… “it all changes when I turn 20.”
- Your career is flourishing and you’re doing a MASTERS DEGREE. YES. YOU. We did it, gal! Haha! Don’t worry too much about your GCSEs, but work harder than you think you should.
- Go hug Mum and apologise. You were probably some kind of bitch today (I’m sorry, it’s true but don’t worry) but you end up being the best of friends. You won’t believe this, but she needs you and you need her. There is a reason that you two are mother and daughter; the connection and understanding you guys have is incomparable. That’s why you guys fight so hard but love even harder. She loves you. And you love her so much.
- You’ll meet a guy at 17. You won’t get together until you’re 18. You’ll know exactly who I’m on about when you meet him! Hahaha. I don’t need to give you any advice here. Your relationship is fantastic.
Anyway, I think that’s all the advice I can give you. All I can say is, we f*cking did it. You’re a super stubborn bitch, by the way. You’ll grow out of it by 18/19. But, Jesus Christ, I promise you: you don’t know everything.
Good luck. Love you.
Your older self.
P.s: by the way, you get adult acne. So enjoy your clear skin whilst you still can.