To Me at Sixteen

Hey, kid.

Its you, about three decades down the line. Okay, once you wrap your head around that, listen up, because I dont have all day here, and there are some stuff you really should know.

First, I know the last decade or so has not been a lot of fun. A lot of pain in our past, even by your age, and yeah, that kinda sucks.

But that’s the past, and right now I want you to look ahead a bit, and see what’s coming.

First, the bullying will stop. By the time you get to grade eleven, it will slow to a trickle, and by the time you graduate, it will be long gone, so you’ve got that to look forward to. As hard as it might seem to believe right now, you’re actually going to be liked one day.

Second, your step-dad. Not a nice guy, but just hang on a couple more years, and then you’ll put him in the rear-view mirror forever. So that’s something to hold on to, when he’s really being a jerk.

Third, you’re going to make some mistakes, some of which will be doozies that will seem like the end of the world, but they won’t be. Some of those very mistakes will help put you in just the right place to receive blessings that you would otherwise never even know could happen to you, trust me on this. So give yourself a break about the mistakes, okay? Failing at something doesn’t make you a failure, just someone who has to try again, and in the meantime maybe learn something someone who got it right the first time wouldn’t.

Fourth, your family. They are going to be with you through all the stuff to come, and will love you when you don’t feel very loveable, so maybe take a moment and make sure you say “thank you” once in a while, okay?

Lastly, the gender stuff. Right now, you’re really confused, and upset by this drive to the fem side of the street, and you’re alternating between indulgence and guilt. I’m sorry to tell you that this is going to be part of your life for a long time to come, but that’s actually less bad than you might think. Some day, you’ll be me, and I found a solution that didn’t even exist at your age, one that has left me more at peace with myself than I ever was before.

So try not to beat yourself up about it, if you can.

So if you get one thing out of this letter, let it be this:

It gets better.

You’re going to have an amazing life getting to my age, and then hopefully many more years after to enjoy some of the perks of being me.

It looks like I got to wrap this up, so take care, kid, and remember to be kind to yourself once in awhile.

You’ll thank me for it.

Love,

You, plus thirty years.