For those who don’t know, I work part-time with a school system. I am an instructional mentor for 16 teachers, across 4 different schools, one of them being a high school. Nearing 30 years old, this is my first time being immersed in high school culture since I myself walked the halls of my high school.

Watching these teens walk around, play around, and joke around is making me smile, reminisce, and quite frankly, cringe.

It is making me remember so much of how I was, yet how differently I viewed myself. I have a deep urge to grab some of them as they push past me in the hallway and tell them all they have to appreciate now and all they have to look forward to later.

But instead, I’ll write a letter to myself in high school…and maybe leave it lying around somewhere…

To my high school self –

Hey you, slow down for just a second! I have something important I want you to read and I promise it’ll be worth it!

First of all, stop rushing through life. You’re so ready to be older, so ready for the next school year, for college, for adulthood, just slow down, you’re going to look back one day and not have a clue where it all went. Enjoy each moment, each and every day. These days are going to do a lot of the shaping of who you are and who you will become. They’re going to go fast enough, stop hurrying them along.

Speaking of hurrying, why are you in such a rush to get out of this small town? I have an inkling that it’s because a lot of your friends are saying that. It’s okay to be happy here. After all, it’s where you’ve experienced the most life and where you’ve met some people that you’ll hold dear the rest of your life. It’s okay to be happy here and not want to live here forever. Don’t wish it away because it’s the cool thing to do.

And start respecting your parents a little more. I know they’re not super strict with you, but when they do put their foot down it’s because they have your best intentions in mind. I know you’re not thrilled that they did some of the college choice narrowing themselves, but the one they picked truly is the best choice of the three you’re looking at. You’re going to love it there!

And sorry to be another person saying it, but you really aren’t always right! Suck it up buttercup. Everyone else thinks they’re right most of the time, too. Learn some grace. It’ll make life easier, I promise.

Speaking of grace, let go of the grudge you’re holding on to with your ballet teacher. She was in the wrong, but big deal, people make mistakes. YOU are making a mistake right now. You’re losing months worth of training and that very well may be the reason you don’t make the dance company when auditions roll around your freshmen year of college.

Oh yea, and about that freshmen year, it’s going to be downright terrifying being dropped off at college but you are about to change and and smile and cry and laugh and learn so, so much and have so, so much fun and grow so, so, so much. I know you’re worried about your best friends, you guys are super close and you’re all scared to say goodbye. Especially you. These girls are your best friends, they’re your sisters. But know that if they feel the same way, just because you’re all at different colleges and going your separate ways,  doesn’t mean you’ll lose touch. If they’re true friendships, these big changes will make you even closer.

Take everyday for what it’s worth and put your all into it. Study hard – no, even harder. Put your all into dance. If you put more effort into it I really think you could be something. Stop worrying about your friends. Or your boyfriend. Be happy with who you are. Be happy with where you are and where you’re going. You’re driven and one day you’ll look back and be glad you took a little advice from someone who knew what they were talking about.

You got this! Keep your head up and keep smiling!

-Your future self

I had a friend look me in the eye the other day and genuinely ask me, “How are you always happy?”

Well let me first begin by saying that I’m NOT always happy.

I do ALWAYS try to be happy though.

I do so by choosing to be happy. It’s a conscious decision day in and day out. No one else has the ability to make you happy. It’s always all on you.

It’s your perspective, your patience, your joy, your choice.

I think this world is a hard place to be. It is scary, it is evil, and there is so, so much to be negative about, to complain about, and to worry about.

But there’s even more things that are beautiful and wonderful. Things that are so very positive, things to rejoice, and things to celebrate!

There’s many ways to become a person who’s “always happy” and since my friend was genuinely looking for an answer, I’ll let you in on my secret!

It’s Jesus.

It’s always him.

But here’s the thing. My friend is a Christian. Why isn’t she happy?

She is someone I admire, someone I pray with, someone who I know and believe trusts every word in the Bible. She exudes the grace of a strong God-fearing woman. But here’s what’s also true, she falls.

We all fall.

And just because I’m the one writing this post doesn’t mean I don’t fall.

When people comment on my smile, my joy, my grace, and/or my faith, I am so humbled. When I receive those comments it makes me feel that that’s why God put me here on Earth. To remind others that there’s always something to smile about.

But again, that’s not to say that I’m always smiling.

Honestly, these days joy comes naturally to me, but hasn’t always. Somewhere along the line you have to start consciously deciding to see the good in things, you have to start smiling even when you don’t feel like it.

There truly are so, so, so many beautiful things about this life! Give it a chance!

I make every effort to pause and think of the good when something bad happens. My friend Sara made a comment a few weeks back about seeing the good in spilling orange juice and I loved it! I’m sure I’m changing a bit of what she said, but her gist was that she had spilled orange juice all over her kitchen floor but she took joy in finding that there was still some left! That because of it spilling her floor is extra clean now. That she’s fortunate enough to even have orange juice and the refrigerator that it fell out of.

Let me put some things in perspective, if you’re letting spilled orange juice – or milk 😉 – ruin your day maybe you should think about someone who would give anything for a glass of juice, maybe you should think about someone who’s never even had a taste of orange juice!

I know it may sound silly to see so much good in spilling orange juice, but until you do, you’re not going to see a change in joy.

And if the “God thing” isn’t really where you’re at right now, that’s okay. Choose joy over all else, anyway.

YOU are the one that decides how your day is going to go, not the person that cut you off on your way to the store or your boss with his short, snippy emails. As I always told my fifth graders, who do YOU need to worry about? The answer is YOU!

YOU choose joy! YOU choose to see the silver lining! YOU choose to smile! YOU choose to remember that God put you here for a specific reason and it’s time you embrace this beautiful, crazy, awful, amazing, chaotic life!

You have to choose joy, consciously and intentionally, every single day, because believe me, it’s not going to come looking for you!

xoxo