1.20.16 33

Dear 18 year old Neely

Dear 18 year old Neely:

Dear 18 Year Old Neely

You have finished high school. A task that seemed very daunting a few short years ago. You are about to have an amazing summer and head off to college. Don’t be shy. I know it’s hard for you to be in a new place, but remember people will love you if you just show your smile and show them who you are. You’ve never really been away from home and it will be really difficult for you. Don’t go home too much though. Stay at school on the weekends and make new friends. Go to football games, tailgates, and parties. Enjoy that life! In 10 years you will miss it.

It’s OK to break up with that boy. The one that was your high school boyfriend. You really shouldn’t have a long distance boyfriend your first semester of college. It will make you want to go home more and not go out and experience life. It’s also OK to flirt with that cute guy in your English class. Nothing will come of it but you two will be become great friends and he will be one of the best parts of that year.

It’s OK that you and your roommate do NOT get along. You are just two very different people. She will yell at you when you are on your computer or TV past 9 PM and yell at you when you are trying to get ready for class at 8 AM. She’s difficult. But fear not, about 6 weeks into the first semester she will switch rooms with your suite mate who you have become fast friends with. You two are always together anyways and even share a couple of the same classes. This girl will stay a huge part of your life for the next 7 years. You will ride back to Dallas together every time you go home. You will share secrets and tears, and having her as your roommate will make that year so much better.

You will meet a boy when he comes to visit some of your friends at school. He goes to a different college eight hours away but he will change your life. The problem is you have a boyfriend at home. Nope not that one, a different one. Don’t worry, you and the boy from home will date for many years. However that relationship finally ending will be one of the best things that has ever happened to you.

Stop eating donuts and Dr Pepper for breakfast. Just stop.

It’s OK that you have no idea what to major in. Just because your friends all majored in Accounting doesn’t mean that you have to just pick something.

Call your mom more. She misses you and this is very hard for her.

Please GO TO CLASS and STUDY! You can’t just “get by.”

Also stop wearing those Abercrombie graphic tees, they are NOT a cute look. Ditto for American Eagle and Hollister.

It’s OK that you decided after a year and a half that, that school wasn’t the right place for you. You can move home, get an apartment, transfer schools, and still be OK.

The next few years will have many ups and downs but they will mold and shape you into the amazing woman you are to become. You will have many road trips to Austin and Lubbock. Many nights spent driving around town with friends, eating McFlurries and complaining about boys. You will make a lot of mistakes. Mistakes are good though.

Enjoy these last few years of being young and ridiculous. Adulthood is coming soon and it brings with it a whole new world of crazy.

Love,

31 year old Neely

P.S. Every time you feel like your heart is breaking I promise it will be worth it. Your future husband is an amazing guy!

Leave a Comment

33 Comments

  1. Kari wrote:

    Boy! Wouldn’t it have been nice to actually have been able to do this? Information like that would’ve been so helpful when I was 18. I would’ve added, “It’s completely okay to be single. Don’t let anyone pressure you or make you feel you aren’t complete because you aren’t in a relationship.”

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  2. Karen wrote:

    Yes to that “break up with the boy” advice to former self. Amen! lol
    Karen | GlamKaren.com

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  3. Oh I love that image. I can’t adult today. I think I might print it out and post to my front door. 🙂

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  4. Cara wrote:

    I love this! It’s amazing what you later learn and realize when growing up but when you’re first in college it’s like you literally don’t have a clue what you’re doing at times-haha I love the comment about doughnuts and Dr. Pepper! Cute post! 🙂

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  5. Julie wrote:

    Very cute post! This will be so helpful for many 18 year olds to read today!

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  6. Alice wrote:

    Don’t we all wish we could go back and talk to our 18 year old selves?! Ugh that would just be so wonderful!! Love this inspiring post!!

    xo, Alice

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  7. Lynn wrote:

    Tears this brought tears, but good ones. Amazing how much we have all learned.

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  8. Emily wrote:

    Donuts and Dr. Pepper for breakfast LOL! It’s so interesting to look back on your life like this. When I was 18, I had every worry in the world. Looking back, I’d definitely say some of the same things to myself as you did to your younger self.

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  9. I remember so many of the things you described above. At 18 you think your an adult but really your just a baby still. Despite all the mistakes I don’t think I would have done things differently at all.

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  10. Chelsea wrote:

    Neely, this is seriously a beautiful letter. The last bit made me cry! “Every time you feel like your heart is breaking I promise it will be worth it. Your future husband is an amazing guy!” If I only I could have told myself the same thing. At 18, my heart was broken and I was depressed over a guy who disrespected me and treated me like dirt. I wish I could have told myself that it would all work out in the end.

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  11. I loved your advice about college roommates. So cool it ended up working out the way it did. 🙂

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  12. Kate wrote:

    Your advice to your 18-year-old self just made 24-year-old me feel so much better. Deeeeep exhale. Thank you for this!

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  13. There are so many things I wish I could tell my 18-year-old self. I love this idea for a blog post. I’ve seen YouTube videos with the same idea as well! I love that you said, “The next few years will have many ups and downs but they will mold and shape you into the amazing woman you are to become.” Such a beautiful line! Definitely made me realize that despite there are many ups and downs, it is worth it and it will make you the person you are!

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  14. Colleen wrote:

    There is SO much I would love to share with my 18 year old self!!! 🙂 This was great!

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  15. Kairah wrote:

    I loved this post! As a soon to be 21 year old who sometimes feels completely lost in life, I really related to those experiences you described in your college years. I’m happy that I’ve discovered your blog and look forward to reading more of your posts.

    P.S. Your blog theme and layout is beautiful.

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  16. This is lovely! I wish I could do the same to my 18 year old self. Great article 🙂

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  17. Loved this. Isn’t it amazing how much we learn. This will be perfect for when you have a daughter and when she turns 18. Just a great idea. I love it. I should write a diary for my girls with advice and things I’ve learned about childhood, children, marriage, and life. Thanks for putting a great idea in my mind. 🙂

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  18. Love this! I wish I had told myself these things when I was 18.

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  19. Ashley wrote:

    Seriously, what an amazing idea. If I could tell my 18 year old stuff, life would have been so much less stressful for the past 13 years. Great job and thanks for sharing!

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  20. Kim M wrote:

    If only we could really go back and fix a few things huh! I don’t know why but this made me teary eyes. Ive been a little emotional lately so theres that.

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  21. Ashley wrote:

    Ha! Every bit of this is true!

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  22. Oh I love this! Well done! Especially the “break up with that boy” part! 🙂

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  23. Jenny wrote:

    What a perfect post to your past self.
    I feel like I should do something like this at some point.

    xoxo, Jenny

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  24. Jessica wrote:

    Hahah ahh I love this so much!! Oh how I wish we could actually talk to our 18 year old selves!

    Published 1.20.16
    Reply
  25. Autumn wrote:

    I ended up having a pretty hard roommate situation my freshman year and I ended up transferring. It ended up being the best for me, but I definitely felt like I missed out on some of the freshman socializing other people had at my new school (it was always hard to find roommates since a lot of the girls made really good friends already). I’ve heard so many good things about Texas though and this makes me want to visit even more!

    Published 1.21.16
    Reply
  26. Shann Eva wrote:

    Awe. Don’t you wish you really could have read a letter like this back then. I know I do. Everything seems so tough at the time, but now I realize how easy it really was.

    Published 1.21.16
    Reply
  27. Shann Eva wrote:

    Sorry…Not sure what happened to the rest of my comment. Anyways, I would have loved to have gotten a letter like this back then. Everything seemed so tough and like the end of the World, when really that was the easy stuff 🙂

    Published 1.21.16
    Reply
  28. Annie wrote:

    Love this letter! I’m definitely a sucker for these. There are so many things I would tell myself at that age and it’s only been 4 years! haha

    Published 1.21.16
    Reply
  29. Grady wrote:

    Love this! I love writing letters to people (I did a similar one to my 16-year-old self — MAN, the teen years are something else, right? haha)

    Also the romantic in me loves the bit about your wonderful husband <3 so sweet!

    Published 1.21.16
    Reply
  30. This is a great post, love the idea of writing to your younger self. Awesome!

    Published 1.22.16
    Reply
  31. I have a lot of similar things going on right now as your 18 year old self and I hope that I’ll be able to look back with this amount of clarity! Thanks for sharing!

    Published 1.22.16
    Reply
  32. Shannon wrote:

    This is just so cute – maybe you should do an updated one “a letter to 30 year old neely” when you are 40… to see what has changed! Hehe

    I should write one to 18 year old me.

    Published 2.1.16
    Reply