In case you’re wondering, this post is from a #NaBloPoMo prompt. 30 days of blogging daily and inspired writing.

Below is a picture of me at 14-years-old. It is also the only picture of me with the only fish I’ve ever caught. This fish took me three days of camping to catch. Everyone else caught bass, trout, and other BIG fish. Me? I caught a freaking minnow.

Dear 14-year-old Molly,

This is you. I am you, really. I’m the 27-year-old version of you. Weird, I’m aware. I’ll prove it’s me by telling you that it’s okay that you eat Tortilla Factory every day (often in secret) – get it in while you can. The Tortilla Factory will eventually will close a few days after your wedding when you haven’t eaten there in years making the close that much more difficult on you. Oh, and you’ll also find out that it closed when you’re on your honeymoon in Mexico rendering it impossible to eat there one last time.

Moving on.

Look, I know this may not mean much coming from me now, but now that I’ve had the chance to look back, there are a couple things I need you me to know – or at least, I need you me to know I’ve realized:

1. You’re gorgeous, skinny, and way smarter than you give yourself credit for. I know that group of boys (and girls) have you convinced otherwise. I know they’re mean and I know they make you feel about as important as that minnow on a daily basis. But they’re wrong. Very wrong. Trust me.

When you get to this age and you look back on how awesome you looked, you will beg to be that small and have skin that clear. Sadly, I wish I could say your insecurities are over after 14, but they’re not. However, things do get better. A lot better. Technically, I guess you could say they get worse before they get better, but they do get better. Way, way, way better. 27 is an awesome age. You have a lot to look forward to.

Also, those boys (and girls) who have tormented for so long? Well, J and A are in prison, K dropped out of school, and C, L, M, and R all had babies before they were married. I also believe that M is a manager at a Golden Corral. And today, you pray for them often. And sincerely.

So, they’ve got that going for them.

2. Get rid of that boy. You know exactly who I’m talking about. He does absolutely nothing for you, treats you exactly the opposite of how you should be treated, and will eventually hurt you. Badly. Get rid of him now. Know that the rest of the boys you encounter between then and now will all do the same thing. However, keep an eye out for that boy you meet at 24. He’s a good one. A really good one. And becomes the best one. And daily, he becomes even better than he was the day before.

And you deserve him. Never forget that. And he deserves you, and you’ll always remind him of that. 🙂

3. Stop rolling your eyes at mom and spend more time with her. You know this in your heart at the time: mom’s gonna die. And in just a few years from then. So spend more time with her. Brush her hair, let her take you shopping (and don’t roll your eyes when she gets her scooter caught on the clothing racks), watch her soap operas with her, but this time just do a mother daughter camping trip, take her to the NSYNC concert and tell her she looks beautiful in her glitter top and pleather pants, hold her hand, cuddle with her, make her dinner, and let her and dad go on dates. Lots of them. So many dates.

And stop being grossed out when they kiss in front of you or talk about you-know-what. You’ll cherish those memories one day.

But seriously, spend time with her and take her in. All of her. Memorize what her voice sounds like, what her laugh sounds like, what it feels like to have her tickle your feet or play with your hair, what her favorite foods are, what her favorite song is, and what her favorite book is. Memorize it all. Because it’ll be really hard to remember those things at 27.

Oh, and take pictures with her. Lots of them. So many pictures. Because you don’t have a lot of those now, and you wish you did.

4. Love those people more. You know who I’m talking about – your dad, your sister, and your girls. Your dad and sister? They’re still here and you love them so much – but you need to love them more then. And let them know.

Those girls? A few of them are still around and you love them so much, but you’ve lost touch with a few of them and it makes you sad when you think about it. Petty arguments and dramatic teenagers are the worst. Eventually you’ll grow up and realize this that those things just aren’t that important.

Molly, there’s probably a whole lot more I could say to you at 14. But I won’t. Because honestly, the rest of it is all learning experiences. You’ll make a TON of mistakes and fixing your mistakes sucks, but it’s important.

But those four things I mentioned? Those are the most important. And often, I wish there was something I could do to change them for you. But then I remember it’s probably better it all happened how it did – because it made you who you are. And you like who you are now. A lot.

You’ve got a lot to look forward to, so keep your chin up, Bucks.

Love,

Me.