What advice would you give to your teenage self?
If I could sit with my teenage self, I wouldn’t start with a lecture. I wouldn’t list all the mistakes she’s about to make or try to warn her about every hard season ahead. I would just sit beside her and let her breathe.
I would tell her that she does not have to grow up so fast. That surviving is not the same as living, and she is allowed to take her time. Not every responsibility that lands on her shoulders is hers to carry forever. Some things will pass. Some things will soften.
I would tell her that life will not look the way she pictures it. There will be detours. There will be seasons that feel unfair and confusing. But she will find her footing. Slowly. Quietly. In ways she does not yet understand.
I would remind her that her sensitivity is not a flaw. That caring deeply will shape her into someone thoughtful and strong. That one day, the same voice she doubts will become the one she writes with, builds with, and stands on.
And maybe most of all, I would tell her this. You are not behind. You are becoming.
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