Advice to my future nieces

Yesterday I got an email from a good friend of mine asking me to join in on one of her family's traditions. When a girl turns 16 all the other females in the family {and select invitees} write down letters or words of advice that they wish they had {or had listened too} when they were younger. 


First of all, what an awesome tradition that is!
Second, how flattering is it that one of my friends choose me to participate, that she thinks I'll have good advice for a 16 year old? it's probably only because they didn't know me at 16 because I was a train wreck of emotions and bad decisions. but I digress. 


So I started with a list of things like:

• Don't wait by the phone. Or the computer. 
• All women are completely neurotic. Don't apologize for it. Own it. 
• Don't chew gum in public. No woman has ever looked intelligent or attractive while chewing gum. 

But then I got to thinking of what advice I really needed when I was that young, what I honestly wish I had understood back then. After reading and rewriting my letter about a bijillion times I decided that it wasn't just Kaylee that needed this advice. I need this advice, and to be honest you probably need it too. 




Dear Kaylee, 


The advice you'll be getting today has been well thought out and personalized for you by a group of amazing and talented women who love you more than you'll ever know. Some of it you'll have already heard, some of it you probably won't understand yet, some of it you'll know you should listen too but you probably won't. And that's okay. You won't be the first woman not to listen to advice, most of us don't even listen to our own advice. 


I won't lie to you, you'll make mistakes. You'll do things you know you shouldn't. Some you will regret, some you won't, but you'll learn something from all of them. The important thing is to continue loving yourself, and to continuing loving and supporting your friends when they inevitably make mistakes as well. 


Here's what I've learned in my life through my many and sometimes repeated mistakes:


I'm not Jennifer Aniston. I'll never cook as well as Julia Child, write as well as Tolstoy, be as funny as Lucille Ball or as rich as Oprah Winfrey. I'll never be as beautiful as Beyonce, as famous as Lady Diana, as good an actress as Meryl Streep, as driven to a cause as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I'll pretty sure I'll never learn physics, or how to speak Chinese. And I can guarantee you I'll never figure out new math. 


But I get to go through this life as me. And that is more than I have ever dreamed of. 


Kaylee- my hope for you is that you can take not only what I wrote, but what everyone wrote to you and just try to be the best you you can be. You only have one chance to live your life, make sure to chase your dreams. Not just the big ones but the small dreams too. Live your life so that you are happy, that's all anyone wants from you. 


Happy 16th Birthday! 


EmSum