I had forgotten about it; the letter I wrote to my senior self freshman year. A part of me was eager to open it while another wanted to remain oblivious of its components. The main thing I could recall about it were all the questions I had for my 18-year-old self, but would I have all the answers upon unveiling the letter?

I did, even though some of them would have been a shock or disappointment to younger me. But did 15-year-old Yasmeen know a pandemic that would startle every end of the planet was going to happen? Did she know that she would remain her awkward self who still struggles to maintain conversations on occasion? Did she know that despite her attempts to fit into her high school environment that she would learn to appreciate and embrace the things that others often criticized and ridiculed?

While some things never change, others will. Such a statement, lesson if you will, isn’t one that I would regard as a revelation but rather something that tends to be overlooked in the scope of a high school experience. Freshman me expected things to play out the way she penned them. She meticulously planned out every last detail of her high school career, checking off boxes with green markers and furiously marking some with red. She remained fixated on the future, and in doing so encountered frustration when the world around her would shift.

It isn’t worth it: to fear the changes that are destined to happen and remain consumed by a future you still haven’t met. It won’t be easy to welcome such alterations with open arms, but to learn to accept them is key as you journey on. I know, high school serves as a time for you to explore what the future may hold, but in focusing all your attention on what is to come, won’t you lose sight of the gift we call the present?

I recently rediscovered a poem I wrote my freshman year about what high school is truly like in comparison to movies that paint it as picturesque. As I read over it, I found the things I shared still hold true to senior year, but one stanza in particular stood out the most. “There are no random dance numbers / Nor are there people breaking out into song / Believe me when I say Hollywood got it all wrong.” Remember that.