A Letter to My Future Self As a High School Graduate

Dear Future Isabel,

This is somewhat awkward for me because I'm not entirely sure how to write a letter to my future self, but here it goes.

How are you? I can't even begin to imagine what my life will be like after just three more semesters of high school. Although if I have any deductive powers of reasoning when it comes to my future, I'm willing to bet most of senior year was pretty similar in the whole "I can only focus on school work, and my life is incomplete if I don't have a test score to stress over" department. But you know, I hope you had some time for fun during your last year of high school because the world knows just how much you valued your social life while taking a million AP classes, right?

Whenever I try to envision myself by my high school graduation, I'm not sure what to expect. That's all up in the wind, and so many monumental decisions will happen between now and then. I'm still trying to narrow down the list of colleges I'll apply to next year, thinking about what I want to put into my senior-year schedule, and so on. I remember growing up dreaming about the future college I'd attend, what kind of person I'd be like, and what it would be like to become an adult, but now that all of those things are only a year away and not something in the far distance, it's extremely daunting.

Anyways, here's a game of 20 Questions! These are both serious and non-serious (mostly non-serious) and in no particular order of importance.

1. What was the first thing you did after you turned 18? Please don't let it be something lame like going to the library or getting frozen yogurt by yourself.
2. Did you ever follow through on that threat to leave your younger brother at home and not take him to school if he sleeps in no matter how many times everyone tells him to wake up?
3. What college/university did you ultimately decide to attend?
4. Are you happy?
5. Do you have any regrets or mistakes you wish you could undo? Do you have anything you wish you'd done but didn't? Advice?
6. What is currently your biggest nightmare?
7. Did you ever get the urge to rent a porta potty? (I only ask because that's on every list of weird things you can do once you're 18.)
8. Have you gotten in a crash yet while driving?
9. What's your biggest accomplishment/experience in the last year? Your worst experience? What did you learn from those events?
10. Have you gotten over your Taylor Swift obsession? How about Josh Hutcherson? Jennifer Lawrence? Kiera Cass? The Piano Guys? Modern Family? Cute little kids? No? Okay... I'm chill with that.
11. What was it like finally getting your high school diploma and suddenly realizing that a big chapter of your life is over?
12. What is the best thing about being an adult? The answer should exclude getting to sign your own field trip permission slips and registering to vote. (Because yes, I know you, and I know that those two things would otherwise be your answer.)
13. Do you still do that thing where you basically talk to yourself on Twitter at three in the morning? Do you still sound crazy every time you do that?
14. What's the most important thing in your life right now?
15. What's the stupidest or craziest thing you've done since I wrote this letter?
16. Who was the last person you texted?
17. Has Taylor Swift released a new album yet? If so, beg Mom for concert tickets. Right. NOW.
18. Do I embarrass you? (I'm not 100 percent sure yet if this is a serious or joking question.)
19. What is the coolest thing that's happened in the world?
20. Favorite tweet of the past year?

Questions aside, I also have a few wishes for you. I know you'll probably go through heartbreak with college decision letters (who doesn't?), but I sincerely wish your ultimate path will be one that you love and one that will never make you feel like you're settling for less. I hope that between now and then, you'll have learned a lot more and grown into an amazing young adult with a bright future. Be who you are and who you want to be. Be the best you. I even hope you're still naively optimistic about the world, if only because I'd rather have a bright outlook than spend the rest of my life wallowing in cynicism. You know what? I even want you to go through some hardships and struggles because you and I know that hardships make us grow and learn more not only about the world and other people, but about ourselves, as well. They turn us into a stronger and better person, and the struggles we overcome are oftentimes our best successes.

Most importantly, I want you to be happy and satisfied. I hope you're content with your life and feeling free and on top of the world, and I hope you're happy not only with life, but also with who you are. I hope you're ready to start the next chapter. Getting ready to embark on the next part of your journey probably has you feeling exhilarated and more nervous than I can imagine, but honestly? I can't wait to get there.

Your one and only,
Isabel.

P.S. Do you still eat all the green Sour Patch Kids before eating the other colors?

P.P.S. Don't start writing your answer to this letter until the day after graduation. You better not forget about it, either!