List 12: Things I'd Like to Tell My 20-Year Old Self

1.  That waitressing job you loathe is going to make you a lot nicer to people in the future.  It's true, what the old people are saying--- it builds character.

2.  That guy you have been with all through high school and think you're going to marry?  You'll stay with him much longer than you should, but you won't marry him.  Thank goodness.

3.  You're not fat.  Also, some of your friends have eating disorders.

4.  Stop being so cruel to your little sister.  She's still at home, she misses you, and she's going to be an amazing friend to you in the coming years.

5.  Stop studying so much and have some fun.  No one cares about your grades.  You're not going to apply to Harvard Law like you think you are.  In fact, you're going to quit graduate school and be totally happy with that decision.

6.  The fact that you love to sew, that you love to save recipes, that you love to visit your grandmother so you can help her in her garden--- these are nothing to be embarrassed about.

7.  You will learn to like, even love, beer.  You will stop liking Mike's Hard Lemonade.

8.  You don't "hate other girls."  You're going to find women whose friendships you value and that will last a long time.

9.  It's okay to feel your feelings.  And yes, even your older self knows that sounds corny.  But it's true.  Related to that, it's okay to set boundaries with other people and ask--- no, insist--- that they respect them.

10.  Your twenties will start off hard, but you'll move into your thirties learning three things: 1) most of your anxieties and worries didn't even happen, 2) most shit doesn't matter at the end of the day, and 3) you are happier than you could have ever planned for, anyway.

(This list inspired by Brooke, who was inspired by Andrea.  12 down, 88 to go.)