Dear Carolyn,
I can only remember the vague details of what went on in our life. The little and big events that molded us into who we are today. The choices we made that took us down so many different paths. Some good but some bad. I can only imagine what life would be like if I knew what I know now. How different life would’ve been, how much happier we could’ve been.…
1. Don’t focus on what others think. Their opinion is not worth your sanity. I learned over time that people say things out of spite because you have something they envied. Instead of elevating themselves, they attempted to bring you down. The words they spread out of spite weren’t anyone’s fault but their own. Keep your head up. Stay focused on the goals we set for ourselves, don’t let those attempts bring you down…work!
2. Question everything. I learned that people are liars. The ones that we look up to aren’t always right. I heard a saying: ”There’s a point in a man’s life where he sees his father as a man instead of a hero.” Apply this to the people we looked up to. I can only imagine what life could have been if we didn’t follow our “heroes” so blindly. The world is one big mystery; everything we see isn’t always what it seems. Everything we hear isn’t always the truth. Apply the knowledge you already have to the information you are given.
3. Be you. Stop comparing yourself to the standards of society. It’s never going to be worth the emotional pain you’re going to put yourself through. I wish you could glance into the future. Just for a second. To see how much the world has adjusted. Our generation has changed the world for the better. We have shoved the standards that the generations before have placed out of the way, replacing them with new and more accepting ones. The world changes every second so don’t attempt to change for those few seconds. Its never going to be worth it. Love yourself forever and always. Never lose track of what you will be and what you are.
4. Friends and foes aren’t too far apart. The ones we call friends, are the same ones willing to burn our peace to the ground simply because they can. It will become harder and harder to find genuine people. God put these people in our life as a lesson or a blessing. We have so many of both coming our way. Keep your head high and use your knowledge to determine who has good intentions towards you. Remember that people are hustlers–always looking for a gain.
5. Hold your mom tight. One of our biggest regrets in life right now is not cherishing Mom well enough. I remember the constant fighting and lack of communication. Some of that still goes on now. Mom is such a strong and kind woman. She has constantly proved that she is willing to break barriers for us. She has done nothing but help us grow into who we are today. Though we bump heads constantly, I can honestly say that she is one of those people that I saw as my hero and now I see her as a woman. A strong and loving one. Till this day she is still my hero, and forever and always will be.
6. Lastly, hug our Cameron a little bit tighter. Tell him you love him one too many times. Treat every moment you have with him like it’s your last. Make those memories you’re creating as we speak last forever. Time is such a precious thing, that is taken advantage of every day. We never know who won’t make it to be seen tomorrow. There will be so many points in our life where we’re so lost. Times when we’re praying to God, begging him to not take the ones we love. Pleading with him to show us the right door. You never know when it’s time to hold on until it’s too late. So hug those people a little tighter for me. Treat every day like it’s a paradise that can be taken away at any time, because every day is. Live life with nothing but smiles and laughter. Never say goodbye. Don’t hold on to the past because you never know what the future will hold. I plan to live life to the fullest. Never a moment spent filled with too much anger. Im learning to live life with no regrets, never dwelling on the past for too long. Only pushing ahead for the future we’re building in the present.
I can only remember the vaguest details of what went on in our life. The little and big events that molded us into who we are today. The choices we made that took us down so many different paths. Some good and some bad. I can only imagine what life would be like if I knew what I know now. We can’t change the past but surely we can mold the future.
-Love forever and always, Caro
Carolyn Chambers, Lindblom Math & Science Academy
Cubs RBI Scholars Class of 2024
Photo Credit: Dave Hoefler on Unsplash