birthday cake
As one more year rolls around, I am again showered with tons of internet love, beginning as early as last night with my friends in Asia. Veramas is upon us! Unfortunately, I cannot respond to any FB messages because Lent is still in session. I actually broke it because I had to sign into FB Messenger to turn off all notifications until 8am tomorrow, but I wanted to send a great big thank you in advance for all your messages and birthday love! But to commemorate this on my blog, we start with a letter…
Dear 20-something Self,
You are an idiot. But don’t worry, at that time, there were thousands of other idiots your age who thought they were invincible. Coincidentally a lot of you graduated from university at the same time too! Add that to the Jerry Springers (which take idiocy to new levels), and we have an army (of over-abundant foolhardiness) rivaling that of the Hitler’s Third Reich. In fact, I have come to detest a lot of you especially when you take to the road, mostly because your type tends to drive like crap. Nobody taught you to cut it and slam on your brakes – that was your own concoction, most likely spurred by another one of your peers. You have made some epically stupid decisions as well, mostly in your relationships but there have been some incredibly ridiculous meanderings in your career as well.
But truth be told, I am envious. I am envious only because you haven’t gone through what I have gone through. Your eyes of widestruck awe (moreso terror) hold a very innocent view that is years gone by in this body whose joints pop each morning. Speaking of, take care of your body. Don’t do it for The Skinny – The Skinny is a joke and if you knew what the mentality of “The Skinny” did to your sister, (err our sister) you would take care of your body because you only have one. Not to mention, there will be a future president that will wreak havoc on all of the healthcare world in this country, and you do not want to be left high and dry without healthcare in your late twenties, thirties, or ever!
Love your parents. Yes, I realize how difficult this is for you because it is still difficult now. Hell, it will probably be difficult forever. What we have is a huge age gap, clashing cultural differences, different childhood environments, varying levels of freedom and expectations…we are bound to get friction equivalent to rubbing baby-raw skin on sandpaper until it bleeds us dry. And don’t forget your younger sibling who is the completely one-eighty from you. The thing is, ten-or-so-something years go by really fast, and you have to add the same amount of time to their ages as well. That’s pretty old isn’t it? They aren’t going to be around forever.
Cherish your friends, your real ones. I see you adding all these friends on Facebook like you were Kim Kardashian, and I laugh because I’ve already done two to three FB purges in the past few years. Truth be told, you don’t have half as many followers and you definitely don’t have that kind of booty either. All jokes set aside, your real friends will come forth at your moments of sheer need, and those that you thought were your friends will abandon you when you most seek them. Surround yourself with positivity because you know you need as much of it as you can get with the negativity that comes with being raised Asian. Counter counter counter!
Life is shorter than you think. Do you know what’s on the other end? I bet you my faith now can beat your faith hands down in a wrestling match. 5 seconds tops. But everything said and done, all will be well. You are probably a lot more capable than you think, and you are a lot stronger than you feel. Don’t get cocky now, there’s always room for improvement. (I feel like the you-then will take what I just said and run with it.). But all in all, if I were to have a daughter like you in the future, I’d be darn okay with that.
Happy birthday.
(don’t go crazy)
Your thirty-something self.
Rammiegirl 2.0 