An Open Letter To 20-Year-Old Me

 Dear (Ridiculously Young) 20-year-old (Disgustingly Energetic) Me:

I hope life and your wrinkle-less face are treating you well. For me, 30 is just around the corner and with that ceremonious event (read: excuse to freak out) in mind, I have been thinking a lot about what I would say to a younger, slightly more unfettered me if I had the ability to go back in time and retroactively impart my wisdom on you. In other words, I'm going to be the graying, wistful, "Been there, done that" Sinead O'Connor to your bleached, questionably behaving, "I do what I want!" Miley Cyrus, minus the making out with sledgehammers (don't worry if that reference seemed like nothing but gibberish to you). Simply put, I'm going to tell you a few things that I wish I had known ten years ago. Why, you ask? Mostly to prove to someone (even myself) that despite the constant nagging worry that I'm not successfully turning into an adult yet (whatever that may be), I have actually learned a thing or two in the last decade. Or maybe I'm just having my quarter-life crisis a few months ahead of schedule (you know how much we like to be unfashionably early). Either way, I've been thinking a lot about the things I wish I had known when I was well, you, just a decade younger with infinitely fewer stretch marks. And this is what I came up with:

• First and foremost, drop whatever you are doing right now and go to sleep. I don't care if it's 2 PM and you're not tired, GO TO SLEEP. In three years, you will have a child, in five years you will have two and sleep will be some lovely, elusive thing that you only vaguely remember. So go take a nap. Right now! You can finish this letter when you wake up. Go!
  
  
• Enjoy being that annoying person who can eat cupcakes for breakfast, never exercise and not gain an ounce. You only have a couple of years before age, metabolism, and having kids will change all of that, which will be super annoying. Enjoy it while you can.
• Travel right now, as much as you can before taking a simple day trip involves car seats, toys, books, play dough, snacks, first aid kits, sunscreen, Bubble Guppies DVDs, and bribe lollipops, when even the best moments will be nothing short of completely exhausting.I'm not saying you shouldn't also travel with kids (you totally should), but consider yourself warned. Travel now while the words "traveling light" are still in your vocabulary.
• Enjoy the feeling of waking up in the morning without any part of your body hurting. Relish in it and then go back to sleep immediately (see above re: you will never sleep again).
  
• Don't be afraid to go for something only to fall on your face. You will learn more from failure then you will ever learn from success. Be brave.
• 'Normal' is nothing but a highly overrated lie we tell ourselves, certainly not something you should strive for. The best people you will ever meet are the ones who couldn't be further from 'normal'. The only thing more overrated than normalcy is perfection.
  
  
• Think more, talk less.
• Take a moment to appreciate the strong women and beautiful concept of natural birth and then GET AN EPIDURAL. Trust me on this one. No one is going to show up to give you a metal for having a ten pound the hard way (although they totally should) and no one should feel like they are dying on what should be a joyful day.
• You're smarter than you think you are (Well, except for the whole epidural thing).
  
• Forgive people, even the people who don't deserve to be forgiven. Especially the people who don't deserve it. Everyone deserves a second chance. EVERYONE.
• You don't have to pretend to like what everyone else likes.
•  Be yourself. In a few years it will be cool to be awkward and nerdy and Zooey Deschanel will get all of the credit for it (but you'll still kinda love her anyway).
  
• Stay in school. It might feel hard now, but it's NOTHING compared to how hard it will be to go back when you're almost 30 with two kids. 
• Stop saying that you are a "multi-tasker". You know not the meaning of the word, my friend.
• There's no shame in watching a day-long marathon of The Gilmore Girls. No shame!
  
• Buy stock in Apple so that 30-year-old you can be a millionaire. Please? Also, have someone explain to you exactly what stock is and how it works, because 30-year-old you still doesn't really know.
• The best things in life are the things you never see coming. 
  
• Seriously. Sleep more.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help doesn't make you weak, it makes you human. And it's good to remember that you're human every once in awhile.  
  
• Your boobs won't get any bigger, not even after two kids. I'm sorry about that, I really am.  
• Above all else, you only have one life and it will go by faster than you can ever possibly comprehend. The great Anthony Kiedis once brilliantly said "This life is more than just a read-through" and he is exactly right. You will regret a few things here and there, but you will never regret making the most of the life you have been given. Enjoy the ride. 
  

Love,
(Almost) 30-year-old (Super Tired) You

Where'd All The Good People Go?

A few weeks ago, I read a disturbing article. Nearly two-thirds of Americans are on some form of anti-depressant. Anxiety is at an all-time high. Nearly 30,000 Americans committed suicide in 2012 alone. I think the point of the article was to demonstrate America's dependency on pharmaceutical companies, but what I took away from it is that we are all walking around like open wounds, hurt, confused, terrified, and desperate for some form of escape from an increasingly violent reality.

I don't know about anyone else, but ever since 9/11, I find it nearly impossible to relax on an airplane. Ever since the 2007 London Bus bombings, I'm weary of city buses. Ever since Aurora, I've kept one eye on the exit every time I'm in a movie theater. And ever since Newtown, I have hated dropping my kids off at school every morning, wondering if that day will be their last.

And now Boston.

I would like to make it clear that I realize that violence, terrorism, and senseless tragedy is an every day occurance in other countries. Many people's first reaction to events like yesterday is "This happens all the time, all around the world and no one cares, so what's the big deal?" and honestly, this is a horrible reaction. Fighting apathy with apathy is pointless. The fact that violence occurs other places doesn't take away from what happened in Boston. If anything, it's a reminder that we all live on this crazy, messed up planet together and we should empathize with everyone who is a victim of violence, whether it occurs in your hometown or thousands of miles away. Have a heart. Show some compassion.

Speaking of compassion, in situations like this I have noticed two kinds of people: The good and the parasitical. The bad people are not just the obvious characters like the bomber(s) but the people who try to take advantage of an already horrible situation by creating fake Twitter accounts to "accept donations" for victims or to spread false reports or conspiracy theories.Why create chaos out of chaos? It's beyond me. People like this are not only showing a complete and utter lack of respect for victims and families, but for the human race in general. But I don't want to focus too much on the bad people. They don't deserve the attention.

The good are the best kind of people out there, the amazing first responders who ran towards the smoke and flames, into the chaos, intent on staying calm and saving lives while everyone else froze. The good are the marathon runners who kept running past the finish line, straight to hospitals to donate blood. The good are the spectators who, though injured themselves, helped others to safety. One of the best things in life is being pleasantly surprised by the kindness and humanity people are capable of expressing. Maybe it doesn't make everyone feel safer on an airplane or worry less about sending their kids to school every day, but in some small way, it's reassuring to think that there are people who are willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of someone else. That in the worst of situations, you can find the best in people and it doesn't get much better than that.

I'm only one person, a couple of thousand miles away from Boston, but I wish it was physically possible to hug the whole city right now and to let them know that people across the country are standing with them.We care about you, Boston, all the way from Albuquerque, and everywhere in between. 

If anyone is interested in helping, please check out the American Red Cross or my personal favorite good-doers Humans Helping Humans . Don't hang your head in fear, be proactive and help the world carry on. Hug your families, be grateful for what you have. Talk to your friends who are going through a hard time and don't be afraid to talk to someone about your own hard time. And turn off the TV every once in awhile. The bad news will still be there when you come back.

Most importantly, remember the helpers. See the good in life, humanity, and each other, no matter how desperate it feels. The good people haven't gone anywhere. You just have to look a little harder to find them.