Dear Self...

Dear self,

Twenty years have passed since you were sweet 16. 

It is HARD to be 16. Whoever came up with sweet 16 is dumb. There's nothing sweet about being 16. It's hard to fit in, it's hard to find your niche, it's hard to be yourself.

But, do NOT give up. You are not a quitter.

Twenty years later...you are, however, still quite clumsy...obviously you don't grow out of clumsiness. You are still shy...but not painfully so anymore; you are actually quite good at disguising the fact that you are socially awkward and have been known to strike up quite the conversations with complete strangers.

Twenty years later...you have a much better grasp on style. You know what matches, how to apply make-up properly, and the "ladies" have shrunk quite nicely (just like you always wished they would).

Twenty years later...you are still a RUNNER! I told you you weren't a quitter. You are actually a GOOD runner, finally finding your niche, and fitting in somewhere.

Twenty years later...that husband and kids you never thought you'd have? Well, you have four of them! (Kids that is...only one husband).  And they are quite the spunky little things; not at all the shy, awkward, gangly thing you were in your early childhood...I guess some things aren't genetic.

Twenty years later...you still fly by the seat of your pants, you still LOVE loud music, you still love the warmth of the sun(although now you ALWAYS apply sunscreen because you are deathly afraid of getting skin cancer from the sunburns of your youth), and you still forget to return library books on time.

Twenty years have passed...

I think you will be proud of who you are today...a mother who will stand up for what she believes in; a wife who will love her husband forever; and a runner who has finally found a place to fit in...hopefully until her legs will run no more.