dear baby girl,
you are beautiful, so live life that way. take it by the reins and ride it through. even when at times the journey is so rough and you want to give up. don’t. life gets better and better and you become stronger and stronger because of it.
i’m proud of you. i truly am. because you’re smart and diligent. you’ll pull all nighters and be shot down with so much criticism, but know it’s worth it all in the end. know you’re possibilities and never stop dreaming. please, never stop exploring. don’t ever get comfortable.
you have an endless amount of compassion for all those around you. but sometimes you love so much, you forget to love yourself sometimes. so slow down, be a little selfish, and love yourself first. and it’s okay to let others see the love you have for them. it’s okay to be vulnerable sometimes. you don’t always have to be so tough. let others help you. don’t ever be afraid to ask for help.
take care of yourself. drink plenty of water, get lots of rest. i know you’ll have it rough. you’ll memorize the layout of hospital corridors and rooms at such an early age. you’ll know how to spell ten syllable prescriptions before the fifth grade. but they’re just little bumps along the way. be grateful in the overall scheme that you’re breathing. maybe with tightened, slightly inflamed lungs, but you’re still breathing. so pray every night and thank god for another day that he’s given you.
and when your first crush leaves you and breaks your tender thirteen year old heart, it truly isn’t the end of the world. you’ll encounter many other boys who will break your heart. and be warned, it will feel like your heart is actually breaking. you’ll cry, you’ll start to believe that you have an ulcer, and you’ll feel uncontrollable anxiety. but you always do come out of it. please, believe me. as hard and painful as it seems at the time, time truly heals. but in the meantime, just do you. get air, surround yourself in positivity, and don’t be afraid to open up again. stop being cynical. and in 20 years when just about everyone seems to be getting married and having kids, go at your own pace. it will happen, it will come. don’t have that stigma of singledom weigh you down. instead, be uplifted.
i won’t tell you to stay clear of men with charming smiles and fast cars. i won’t tell you to put down the crimper and dark liner. i won’t even advise you to go straight to a career in the sciences for stability. but i’ll tell you this, don’t have regrets. you’ll make many mistakes, many mistakes. but you’ll also learn from them and realize it builds character. it’s what will make you the amazing person you’ll grow up to be.
but don’t ever be afraid to slow things down. never grow up too fast. even when it seems that everyone your age is already accomplished. know true accomplishment is happiness. know what makes you happy, who makes you happy. and go there. please keep laughing. you’ll learn early on that you have a unique laughter, so never hide it. don’t cover your mouth or hold it in. share it with people. don’t take life so seriously. you only have one. remember, you only have this one time to live. so, don’t waste away the days.
i just want you to be happy, baby girl. never stop laughing. never stop loving. always be kind. never give up. always dream. let yourself shine.
olive juice on the rocks 
