Dear Young Person,
Ten to fifteen years from now, you are going to be old. So will all of your friends. It’s going to happen.
And between now and then, a lot of things are going to change. Look around you at the people on your sports teams, the students sitting next to you in class, the people you party with, your closest friends, your ex-boyfriends and even the people you know but never really talk to.
The social dynamic at play in your life today will completely change in the next 12 years.
The girl you just took to prom will have had two kids (and probably two husbands). The guy who has been bullying you and making you feel insignificant is going to have a life-changing experience, and he’ll regret everything.
The captain of your team who you have a lot of respect for is going to abandon his family and cheat on his wife of eight years. The fat kid you pick on is going to lose weight.
You’ll get fat. The girl you think is going to be rich, will end up poor.
That kid who everyone gossips about is going to make something out of her life.
The people you see every day will disappear, but in 12 years you’ll see them again. You’ll run into them in another city, or another state. You’ll see old friends on TV. They’ll either be famous or arrested (or both).
You’ll run into others from your past in restaurants, churches, events and business meetings. You’ll see them on Facebook (unless Myspace makes a comeback). He’ll have a beard, she’ll have shorter hair.
In the next 12 years, everything will have changed, but nothing will be forgotten.
Day after day, you will slip into the future. The decisions you think matter most today will matter less in 12 years. And the decisions that matter least today will matter most.
Over time, you’ll learn that the choices involving your character and integrity matter more than the ones involving cute clothes and house parties.
One day, you are going to grow up. And the road you are walking will take you back to the bridges you are burning.
The selfish decisions you are making today will slap you in the face tomorrow.
The ex that you hate, the guy that you slept with and the girl that you are ignoring will stare you in the eyes again one day.
It’s going to be awkward.
So I suggest you be wise. Stay focused. Walk a road that leads to honor. Live a life that is worthy of your potential.
And when the day comes that you stare into the eyes of your ex, when you run into the people you played sports with, and when you happen to be sitting beside an old classmate on a train or in a restaurant …
Let it be awkward for them.
Because it doesn’t have to be awkward for you.
