Hey there seventeen year old self...

During the week I saw an article in the paper titled “Letter to Me”, it was basically a few semi-famous Brisbanites writing what they would tell their seventeen year old selves. Cute idea! It appeals to the nostalgic in me. I think it probably appeals to most people over the age of 25 when you’ve accumulated enough cringe-inducing moments and poor decision making to really be able to lay it out there to your younger self.

I have noticed in my Facebook perusing that lots of people list “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” as one of their favourite movies. I think it appeals to the same desire, the desire to order ourselves the smoother versions of our life. I’ll have the blameless life thanks, minus the heartbreak and cringe-inducing moments. Oh yeah and I’ll have fries with that.

Yep, it’s not reality but I thought I would run with it anyway.

So here’s a few of the things I would tell my seventeen year-old self….

• Very shortly Paul Keating is going to the win the election, your sister will show up at home having drunk three quarters a bottle of Jim Beam, when you go into the room to break the news to her she will vomit at your feet, you may want to take a step back.
• Screaming at a bouncer that it’s Saturday night and everyone is bloody drunk will not help your cause.
• Lots of people will come and go out of your life, don’t waste your love and energy on the ones that don’t give it back. But don’t be so hard on yourself when you do. You’ll get much better at spotting the keepers with age….
• All the overseas travel your going to do… great idea…. Although it will leave you with constantly itchy feet
• Try not to lose yourself in other people’s problems. You can’t solve them for them even if you desperately want to.

What would you tell your seventeen year old self?