Dear Me at Fifteen,

I listened to the words to this song tonight, and it got me thinking.

Fifteen (Taylor Swift)

You take a deep breath, and you walk through the doors
It's the morning of your very first day
And you say hi to your friends you ain't seen in a while
Try and stay out of everybody's way

It's your freshman year and you're gonna be here
For the next four years in this town
Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say
"You know, I haven't seen you around before"

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen, feeling like there's nothing to figure out
Well, count to ten. Take it in
This is life before you know who you're gonna be...
At fifteen

You sit in class next to a redhead named Abigail
And soon enough you're best friends
Laughing at the other girls who think they're so cool
We'll be outta here as soon as we can

And then you're on your very first date and he's got a car
And you're feeling like flying
And your momma's waiting up and you're thinking he's the one
And you're dancing 'round your room when the night ends,
When the night ends

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
When you're fifteen and your first kiss
Makes your head spin 'round
But in your life you'll do things greater than
Dating the boy on the football team
But I didn't know it at fifteen

When all you wanted was to be wanted
Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now

Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday
But I realized some bigger dreams of mine
And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind
We both cried

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall
I've found time can heal most anything
And you just might find who you're supposed to be
I didn't know who I was supposed to be at fifteen

Your very first day
Take a deep breath girl
Take a deep breath as you walk through the doors

Oh my, how this rings true for me at fifteen. I was thinking about what I would have told myself at fifteen that I know now. The short version would look something like this:

Dear Me,

This is the most thin you will be. Enjoy it.

Stop taking yourself so seriously. This is the most carefree your life will ever be.

Keep studying hard and reading; your livelihood will depend on it one day.

It's a form of love you feel for him and from him, but it's not how you will love The One and be loved by The One.

Your friends now will not be there when your Granny dies, when you marry The One, or when your son is born...but you will meet friends who will be.

Your parents are speaking from experience and with good intentions.

There are consequences for every action and inaction.

You will travel valleys deeper and wider than your worst nightmares, and you will come out on the other side better for it.

Your life will be better than the best scenario you could paint for yourself at fifteen. I promise.

You will be comfortable in your own skin one day and not give a second thought about what anyone else thinks of you. Just hold on.

Life will just get better and better.