Stacie, circa 2005
1. Stand up straight, silly girl! I know you are taller than all of the boys, so you feel out of place. But someday, that “mature” figure of yours will drive the boys wild! Be proud!
2. Don’t join the AV team at church to make new friends. Something about wearing all black while crawling around on the ground with a camera on your shoulder during praise and worship tends to keep people at arm’s length.
3. One fateful spring day, when you are 10 years old, your sister will want to play basketball. The ball will strategically hit the roof of the house and come straight down on your currently cute little nose. Just pass on the game of b-ball on that day, okay? It is the beginning of a vicious cycle of balls flying in your face (and I know that sounds crude, but it is literally true)!
4. Just because a boy has the same initials as you does not mean that somehow cosmically he and you are soul mates. I promise.
5. You know how you’ve always wondered if you could be a cheerleader? Please don’t go to tryouts, because they will let you on the squad out of pity. The little cheerleading outfit and glitter is not all it is cracked up to be. Plus the damage that is done to your self esteem will take years of Oprah therapy to undo.
6. You commit to friendship 100%, and come on a little strong in your quest to find a “best friend”. Some friendships will fade, because people drift apart as they grow up. Stop crying at night because you feel rejected by your classmates. There’s more to life than the little private high school you attend and the people in it. You will go to college, and will meet people who will understand you 100%. You can finally stop trying so hard to be liked. Just wait, there is nothing more refreshing then feeling like you can be yourself around people who actually love you!
7. Girl, love your body! You are shaped like a woman, so own it! You will probably never be a size 6. And that is okay! Someday you will look back on your high school pictures and realize how lovely you were!
8. You feel really awkward around children, despise babysitting, and cannot imagine how you could ever be a mother! Well lady, get ready, because you are a fertile myrtle, and you will be amazed at how naturally motherhood comes to you! Embrace your maternal side. There is nothing weak about motherhood.
9. You are an approval junkie. Most of what drives you to be better and do better is motivated by what other people think of you. Please know that until you love and approve of yourself, all of the attention and praise in the world will never fill the void of you not loving yourself. This is your lifelong struggle: self acceptance. But take a moment and realize how incredibly quirky and lovely you are.
10. Trust your instincts: You know the boy who plays the tuba at school? The one that you think is the perfect combination of calm and smarts? The boy who was the sole reason you jointed Music Theory, so you could be in the same class? The curly haired dreamboat that you managed to stand next to in every possible year book photo Junior year? Yeah, you are right. He’s the one 
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