Aug 25, 2014

Letter To Me by Amy Andrews

Inspired by the lovely Louisa's letter to her 16 year old self last Friday, all the LoveCats, interspersed with other posts, will be bringing you their letters over the next few months. And today its my turn.
So here goes....




Dear Me,
Firstly, let me tell you, that you’re going to have a fabulous life filled with amazing opportunities and incredible experiences.

I know at the moment, as you head into your last year of high school, that you’re hedging your bets career-wise. You want to be a nurse but you also want to have a Plan B in case it’s not what you imagined.  Forget Plan B. You’re going to love being a nurse. You’re going to love it from the second you first put on your uniform. You love working with patients, being with patients. Chatting with them, laughing with them and crying with them. Being their advocate and their confidante. You love it so much you make an active decision to not climb up the hierarchy because you never want to lose your connection to patients.

You will never regret that decision.

One day very soon you’re going to open your front door and a guy will be standing there that you know instantly you’re going to marry. Part of me wants to tell you not to open that door. To leave that door for a few more years. You are a young woman in your prime and you have no idea what power you hold in your hands. You should date a little more, flirt a little more, kiss a little more. You should revel in that power a lot more. But you won’t. Because we don’t get to choose the time fate comes knocking and you’re going to be so head-over-heels in love you won’t care about any of the rest.

And that guy is a keeper.

You will make some wonderful friends over the years and you will commit everything to those friendships. Sadly, not all of them will last and that will throw you when it happens. It will be bewildering and it will make you wary of how much of yourself you give in future. But please know that some people come into our lives for a reason and then move on and that’s okay. Your true friends will always be there for you. They will pick you up and commiserate with you when you fall and, more importantly, they will lift you on their shoulders and celebrate with you when you succeed. People say that it’s the friends who stay when the chips are down that count and that’s so very important but it will surprise you to learn that some of those people won’t be as supportive when you find success after many years of hard slog to achieve your dream.

Misery loves company but true friends are there for you come what may.   

Lastly, I want to say – I want you to believe – YOU. ARE. NOT. FAT.  Trust me on this, you’re going to spend an extraordinary amount of time never measuring up in the mirror and please, for the love of God, I beg you, don’t do that. Please see what everyone else sees. The constant critical eye is exhausting and you’ll spend so much time finding fault with your body and being on diets that you’ll never wield that power I mentioned earlier - you’ll never know you had it until it's too late. Please, give yourself a break from that internal negative voice and be kind to yourself.  



You look good, girlfriend! Just enjoy it.

love Me xxx



PS – no matter how much Mum drives you nuts from time to time, treasure every moment with her. You will lose her too soon and nothing will ever be the same again.









Thought I'd share this song with you from Brad Paisley called Letter To Me which always, without fail, makes me cry.



Did you know what you wanted to be at 16?



22 comments:

  1. Gorgeous letter to your 16-year-old self, Amy! Filled with love and wisdom. I wonder how receptive our 16-year-old selves would be to the knowledge we have now...maybe since we lived through that time, we would be saying things in a way that resonated.

    I knew what I wanted to be at 16 but it's not what I ended up doing. I had the opportunity many years later to go back to do the study to qualify as a veterinarian, but then realised my dreams and direction had changed. I think it's wonderful that your passion for nursing stayed with you and that you stayed "at the bedside" so to speak. It's all too tempting to take promotions which can take you away from the very things that you love about a job.

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    1. Oh I'm damn sure my 16 yo self wouldn't have listened to a word of it, Sharon :-) We think we know everything back then!

      FWIW, Sharon, I think you would have made an excellent vet!

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  2. Beautiful letter, Amy! I had a few tears in my eyes by the end of it. Why do we all think we're fat at 16?? Craziness.

    Thanks for sharing :)

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  3. Oh my gosh, not much makes me cry AA but that did. Your 16 year old self should be VERY proud of the amazing lady you are today. xox

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  4. My turn for tears today, AA ;-) I wish I could have nursed alongside you at some point.

    God, it's so bloody annoying that we spend so much of our lives wanting to be (physically) something else instead of celebrating what we are, WHO we are. And you're pretty damned amazing xx

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    1. I know Louisa....it's *such* a waste of energy!

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  5. Gorgeous letter, AA! I wish your sixteen year old self could've believed how unbelievably gorgeous and cool she was…and how powerful. That said, I'm glad your current self can see how awesome she is. :-)

    I love your attitude to nursing. If I'm ever sick I hope I get put in your ward!

    You know, I never really knew what I wanted to do or be when I was sixteen…I only knew the things I didn't want. Nevertheless, that seems to have stood me in good stead. :-)

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    1. lol Michelle - I really hope you NEVER end up in Intensive Care ;-)

      I think its really crazy to ask a 16/17 yo to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I got lucky but so many people just don't know - sometimes for many many years. But I reckon, knowing what you don't want is as good a place as any to start, Michelle!

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  6. What a gorgeous letter, Amy. I can just imagine what an amazing nurse you are knowing what a nurturing person you are! You are a key reason why I'm published today. All that encouragement, help and support you've given me along the way.

    At sixteen I wanted to be the CEO of a major corporation by the time I was 30. Realised a little before I was 30 that that was going to be no fun at all!!!

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    1. Jen - YOU are the key reason you're published today and dont forget it :-)
      And knowing what I know of your life I reckon you were kicking corporate ass long before your 30th!

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  7. Amy

    That is so awesome you hd me crying :)

    At 16 I too wanted so much to be a nurse as well but at 15 I started going out with the man I would marry and nursing back then meant living at the hospital to traine and I didn't want to be awya from him for that long so chose a career in banking and to this day I am still working with money and I have enjoyed it although retirement sounds really good to me these days with 7 grandkids and so many books to read.

    And also when hubby was diognosed with cancer when he was 39 I decided to live the way I wanted life can be very short 20 years on and hubby is till here and enjoying life but I too have lost my Mum and my Dad and agree cherish every moment with them

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Absolutely, Helen! The longer I live the more I believe that life is for living and you never know when you're straw is going to be pulled!

      So sweet that you're still with your guy from 15.
      Hugs on your Mum and Dad xx

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  8. I loved your letter, Amy. That incessant negative internal voice has a lot to answer for. I'm sure it stopped many young people from following their dreams because they thought they weren't "good enough", physically or intellectually, and it was wrong.

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  9. Amy, what a lovely, positive letter! Great pic too! Love the fact you and your man have been together so long.

    At 16 I wanted to be an archaeologist. And that was before I saw Indiana Jones!

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    1. An archaeologist would be sooooo cool, Annie!
      My brother wanted to be an archaeologist - teachers at school talked him out of it. "It's not all Indiana Jones, Phillip" He went to ADFA instead - worse thing he could have done.
      It's so sad that people who are supposed to be supporting and encouraging our students to reach for their dreams are stymieing them. Like the teachers who advised our Louisa she was too short to be a nurse - what the??

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  10. I love your letter, Amy. You've covered the good and not so good, and yet you're positive all the way through. But then you are a very positive person. Your love story is wonderful too. Ahh, sigh, if only I'd had half your wisdom back then.

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  11. Lol, Sue. I wish I'd known then what I know now! :-) ....

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  12. Amy, I love, love this letter! I want you to talk to 16 year old me, too! Or even give a pep talk to present day me - you say very good stuff. :)

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  13. I think you have your head screwed on right Ms Bailey!

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