Verified by 
Kyle, its your graduation and what an accomplishment! Right now is ripe with possibilities and that might be making you a little anxious; “what if I make the wrong choice?” “am I doing the thing I am supposed to be doing?” “will I make my parents proud?” “will I be happy?” “will I be successful? “
So I hope this helps.
Your mom asked me to write you one thing I wish someone told me when I graduated and I thought about this for a while. I think this is a conclusion that I’ve come to only recently- but would have loved to have had it in my pocket when I was your age:
No matter what you do, what decisions you make or don’t make - happiness is the perspective you take about your current circumstances at any given time in your life. If success is your goal- let happiness, not money, be the currency.
Ok maybe that’s two things.
I think back to being 18, although cliche, it does seem like it was just yesterday. I remember schlepping. Schlepping my backpack, schlepping my volleyball knee pads, my cheerleading clothes for practice after school, my lunch (because I was always on some sort of diet -why? when I was 125 lbs wet, I’ll never know).
I worried about knowing all the lines to the play I was in at the moment, whether or not a certain guy would write me a note in study hall, whether I would start in our volleyball game that night, whether I would fundraise enough to go to cheerleading camp, whether my friends really liked me or talked about me behind my back like they seemed to do with a lot of girls, whether the “upperclassmen” would make fun of me again under their breath as I had to walk through senior hall, whether I would get an A on my Econ test, etc etc etc.
I look back at that time and the time that followed in college- yet another series of worries and my young adult life, followed by my current life as a parent of young kiddos who will soon no longer need me in the way they (constantly) do now…and wish someone would have just said “relax and enjoy, every minute of this beautiful, crazy, complex, and colorful life.”
If I could think of an analogy, I would use that of a roller coaster. When we ride, we go up and down but never worry if we are going to make it up the hill each time, we know its a ride that has worked time and time again for many before us- and so we just sit back and enjoy it.
If I could sing you a song, I would sing:
“Don’t worry…about a thing…cos’ every little thing gonna
be alright. Singing’ don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause
every little thing gonna be alright”. -Bob Marley
Happy Graduation Kyle and enjoy the ride!
Love, Aunt Colleen
