Wisdom for the 17-year-old Amanda

It should come as no surprise to many of you that I often scan through the radio stations while in my car. When you pair my eclectic taste in music with my impatience over commercials and mediocre songs, I often annoy people with the the amount of channel flipping I do. Tonight, while doing a little Christmas shopping, I stumbled across a country song. The premise of the song, in short, was about the types of things you would include in a letter to your 17-year-old self. I spent a good part of the evening thinking about this.

The woman I am now is quite a bit different than the girl I was then. Sure, my general character is still the same. I am still pretty traditional and corny. I still like a lot of the same things. I still am passionate about my faith and family and friends. I still get excited over holidays and fireworks and lightning bugs. I still make a lot of mistakes. But, I am different. I spent the last few hours thinking about the things in my life over the last 8 years that have changed me. Shaped me. Hurt me. Humbled me. Made me a better person.

So, what do I wish I could tell my 17-year-old self?  

1. Lighten up. Laugh at yourself. Life is not always meant to be so serious.
2. The world is not black and white. Learn to accept grey. Learn to enjoy grey. 
3. Some friendships are not worth the effort and drama they bring.
4. Be friends anyway. Relationships make you a better person. Even the hurtful ones. If you push everyone away, you'll end up lonely. Really lonely.
5. Don't worry, you are going to have some amazing friends. They make it worth it. Promise.
6. Being judgmental is narrow-minded. Listen more. You might learn something.
7. If you have doubts about someone from the beginning, don't date them. Trust me.
8. Mom and Dad know a lot more than you think they do.
9. Dont give up on your dreams. You'll regret it.
10. Don't be afraid to try something new. Even if you don't like it, at least you tried.
11. Don't speed-- you'll end up getting a lot of tickets. You only can cry your way out of about half.
12. You're a great procrastinator. It is your strength and you will still do great, but you won't get much sleep.
13. Stay away from credit cards.
14. Dark hair is not a good look on you.
15. You're vanilla. Embrace it. There's a reason why vanilla is the most popular flavor. It's good.
16. You hate hospitals. That doesn't change. In fact, it gets worse.
17. The only one responsible for your happiness (or unhappiness) is you. Adjust your attitude. Choose to be happy. The only thing you can change is yourself.
18. Time heals, but doesn't erase, wounds. Hurts can have long-lasting effects. Don't be hurtful or spiteful or so cynical.
19. While you like to argue, and can be quite good at it, you'll find that it's usually not worth it. Kick the habit, girl. Winning isn't everything.
20. Love God. Love people. Love is a verb. (see previous post)