Dear Me,

It’s Spring 2020 and your senior year just got put on pause for two weeks. Spoiler alert: it’s not going to be two weeks. You’ve been looking forward to your last semester of high school for so long, but it’s not going to happen the way you ever imagined it would. You’re not going to prom, grad night is cancelled, and you’re going to graduate in your living room over zoom. You don’t really know what that is yet but trust me you’ll become very familiar with it over the next year. You’ll keep working at Roque and Mark but wound-up clients calling about their rent is the only part of your routine that will stay consistent.

You’re going to go to Salve, by the way. Orientation week is going to be hell, but it’s all uphill from there because you have the most amazing friends. If you’re thinking that going to college in a pandemic is going to be crazy, just you wait because you’ll find yourself doing things you never thought you would. You’re going to download tinder. I know you’re shaking your head because you think that you’d never do that, but you will. You’ll get a boyfriend, though, and he’s pretty fantastic. You’re going to swim. As much as you think you hated it, you’ll find yourself missing it by September and diving back in by February. You’re going to work at a grocery store- don’t get too excited for that. You’ll be stressed but you’ll be happy, and there are so many people who are there to help you.

You don’t know it, but Grandma and Grandad are going to get COVID. You’ll be going to Grandma’s funeral, but you already knew that was coming. That may sound scary, but you’re going to be fine, I promise. Grandad is going to call you and tell you about his gardening, Chloe the cat, and how confused he is that Charlie has 50,000 tiktok followers. Nana and Grandad miss you too, but you’re going to forget to call them sometimes. Don’t get too mad at yourself about it, they always understand. You’re going to talk to Mum and Dad every day. Well, almost every day. Harry is going to call you, Megan isn’t. You’ll talk to a therapist about that and he’s going to tell you to reach out, but we haven’t yet, you’re still hurt.

Throughout this whole year you’re going to have more emotions than you ever thought could fit in one brain. You’re going to call yourself insane as you struggle and you’re going to hear so much about the struggles of others. You’re going to learn how to be more empathetic and kind. Your confidence is going to skyrocket. You’re going to keep a positive attitude, and that is what is going to keep you afloat.

Love from,

You! (but from the future)