Letter to myself

Now that I have a 17 year old daughter, and I watch her do the same stupid stuff I did, I thought I would write a letter to my 17 year old self in hopes that I’ll magically become more mature when he reads it.

1. YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING!!!!  While you think you do know everything there is to know about everything, there is 1 thing that your parents have that they will always know more about, that is life experience.  Try listening to your mother once in a while.
2. While you like to think your better off than everyone else at school, because you’re a Christian, all you’re doing is what most religious people do, judging others.  What’s funny is, while you get mad at everyone for judging you, your judging everyone else.  If you would broaden your thinking to include those around you, you would realize this.  Carrying your bible and wearing your Christian t-shirts to school doesn’t make you a Christian.  You know what sins you are committing while you’re claiming to be a Christian.  Quit being like a lot of other religious people, two-faced and being a hypocrite.
3. Speaking of religion, do you realize why you even go to church and pretend to be a Christian?  It’s because you’re accepted there.  Problem is, they don’t necessarily know the real you as well as you think they do. You want to be accepted so bad that you’re not seeing them for what they are as well.  One of the greatest life lessons that I learned was, to always be yourself.
4. Not all of your religious background was bad.  Keep thinking like you do about alcohol and tobacco,  there really is no need for any of it.  Alcohol is fine, in moderation,  there is no point in getting trashed. Why anyone would want to drink until they feel like crap all night and all the next day, is beyond me.
5. You know how your mom keeps telling you that skipping school will effect your work career?  She’s right.  While you tell her that if they were paying you, you would be there everyday, you’re wrong.  What happens is, you realize that you can skip paying this bill this week and you’ll skip work.  The sad thing is, you won’t actually learn this until you have kids, and you don’t have them for another 12 years.  After kids you learn that you need every dollar that you can.
6. And speaking of school, I know you have no thoughts of going to college so you don’t do anything to help your grades.  Doing no homework and getting A’s on your tests equal out to C’s and D’s.  It will eventually bite you in the ass.  Like in 1991 when you’re supposed to graduate, you won’t.  You’ll be 1 credit short.  When you do eventually go back and get that 1 credit to get your diploma, your brother, who is 3 years younger than you, will actually graduate a month earlier than you.
7. And speaking of college, GO!  If you had gone to college, you might be sitting somewhere in a nice cushy office,  or at this point, be able to work in air conditioning.  Because for the last 13 years, you’ve been sweating your ass off in 120° temperatures in a factory, trying to get by with the money you make.
8. Also speaking of college, quit making excuses that you don’t like the coach of the high school basketball team.  If you would get off your lazy ass and play for the school, you probably would have had a full ride to a lot of schools.  While I highly doubt you’ll play in the NBA, you would probably excel at that level, and actually get a degree in something.  And again, wouldn’t have to work in a factory.
9. But back to high school, you might have learned this by 17,  but maybe not.  All those kids that make fun of you, because you do nothing, well you’re doing something, your reacting.  It’s ok to react, but not in the way you’re doing it.  Don’t let them get to you, why do you even care what they think about you?  Another life lesson you will learn is not to take crap from anyone.  I am now 39 years old and have never been in a fight.  Not because I’ve avoided them,  but because I don’t back down.  That’s all most people want you to do is back down.  Stand up for yourself, most people will back down themselves.
10. Let’s see, your 17 when your reading this.  By the time you turn 18, you already have 6 or 7 speeding tickets, and more than a few accidents.  This goes with most of the rules above.  Pay attention to what is around you.  While the 1 major accident you’ve already had wasn’t your fault, it may have been avoided.  Racing everybody at the stoplights proves nothing and all it does is waste your gas, and with gas prices in the future, you’ll really appreciate that tip.  Why do you even care if your faster, what does it prove?  I still drive fast 22 years later, but I don’t floor it at the lights.  Chances are you’ll pass them anyways,  and maybe without all those tickets, you could have afforded insurance and not drove without for so many years.
11. This one is big, keep to a sleep schedule.  You can’t sleep at night because your sleep schedule now is 3am till noon.  Sad thing is, it will take you almost 20 more years to learn that.  If you go to bed around the same time every night, you will eventually get to the point where you actually get tired at the same time and you will go to sleep within a few minutes of laying down,  and that feels awesome.
12. And going along with the sleep, your cranky all the time because of the lack of sleep schedule.  You’ll be so much happier when you go to bed around the same time and you’ll also be able to get up and go to work without really struggling.  My alarm is set for 6:25 and I have to be at work at 7.  I get up and go and am gone within 15 minutes of getting up.
13. It’s perfectly ok to still be a virgin, but whatever you do, do not marry the first girl you sleep with.  You might think it’s love and she’s perfect for you, but you don’t have a clue what love is.  While that marriage may last 12 years, it is not necessarily a happy 12 years.  Not to mention, after the divorce she’ll become theEx and marry the JackAss and it gets even worse.
14. Those couple of best friends that you have, won’t be anything but memories when you get older.  Friends come and go.  You think that you’ll still hang out with them, you family and their family will still get together.  Not.  If it wasn’t for the invention on Facebook (you’ll figure it out), you would probably never talk to them again.  So while friends are awesome to have, they aren’t a necessity.
15. Family is, and should always be #1.  You are a pretty good kid compared to most.  But you treat your mom like crap.  She will eventually become the 1 person you will always count on and she will be there for you more times than you can imagine.  Be glad she’s very forgiving to put up with your crap, especially your smartass mouth.
16. The quicker you learn the following rule, the better off your life will be.  Learn not to care what everyone else thinks about you.  That doesn’t mean go around and be an ass to everyone.  What it means is, if you hear a rumor that someone has said about you, go with it or ignore it.  I had a guy who was telling everyone I was gay, do you know what I did?  I hit on him, started talking about how hot he was.  Do you know what I found out?  He was homophobic and he freaked out.  It was hilarious.  The only people that it matters what they think are your friends and your family.  They will know what rumors are true and which aren’t.  Why does it matter what people you don’t even hang out with, think about you?

So that’s my list, it may grow in the future.  Now to figure out how to get it back to 1990.  Wonder if I can rent a Delorean.  I could just steal one, and then when I come back to the present, set the time for a few minutes before I stole it.  Hmmm.