Days 25-26: ugh so tacky

On the list of things that are oh-so-tacky but not blatantly-over-the-top-tacky enough to be ironically cool, "letters to myself" sits firmly in the top three, sandwiched between whale tales and clear plastic purses.

These slightly pretentious, holier-than-thou open letters of unsolicited advice thinly veiled as a selfless attempt at introspection, letters to oneself have the rare honor and privilige of obtaining the hard-earned trifecta of tackiness - 1) a country song written about them (sorry, Brad Paisley fans); 2) 89,600,000 results on Google in less than a second (so mainstream, yuck); and 3) a permanent spot on every single list of "topics to blog about" (#Basic with a capital B).

But - all my unnecessary and potentially slightly unwarranted criticism and judgement aside - here's mine. My letter to myself.

Yeah, I wrote one. Sue me.

Call me a hypocrite (I am). Call me tacky (I am).

But here it goes anyway: a letter to myself 3 years ago, right after graduation caps had been thrown (in the garbage, not the air. Does anyone do that anymore?) and bags had been packed (full of sorority t-shirts I should've left behind) to move home...

(To be fair, this is inspired by my little sister's recent re-entry to the living-at-home-after-college stage of life after completely owning a Fulbright year in Mexico. So she's already crushin' it and definitely not in need of advice from her jobless-basically-almost-thirty-year-old-well-in-five-years sister, but I digress.)

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Dear 2014 Caroline,

If you're reading this, it's too late. (Jk, that's a reference to a Drake album that came out in 2015 so you don't know about it yet. Sigh... I guess current cultural references are a no-no in these things.)

You just graduated college. Good for you. It's a scary time, and not just because you haven't learned to fill in your eyebrows yet.

You have a lot to look forward to in the next few years: an unpaid summer internship where your first "project" is creating a social shrine to your bosses dead dog; spending that same summer - and subsequent year - sleeping in a twin bed (not even twin XL) in your parents' house; two more x-rays of your gut, 100 needles in your back, and another colonoscopy up your butt for your messed up stomach (oh yeah and you don't eat gluten anymore, sorry)... just to name a few highlights!

But in all seriousness, here are some words of advice from your older and maybe-a-teeny-bit-wiser (but let's be honest not really) self.

1. Don't take it all so seriously. It's ok if you don't know exactly what you're doing/where you're going/who you are right now. College is over, boo hoo. Move on and attack each day of post-grad life with vigor! Contrary to the opinion of the voice in your head when you try on that crop top from college that now fits more like the ace bandages Amanda Bynes wears to constrain her boobs in She's The Man, you ARE still young and cool and hip and fun and have a lot of life ahead of you. Believe it or not, the best really is yet to come. So stop worrying so much and enjoy each moment. Stop thinking how cliche that sounds and just do it.

2. Keep learning as much as you can. Just because college is over and you have that diploma framed in your bedroom (jk we all know it's rolled up in the back of the closet somewhere), that doesn't mean you're done learning. Learn everything you can from anyone you can anywhere you can. Read interesting books. Watch fascinating documentaries. Talk to intriguing people. Keep writing and painting, making videos and taking pictures. Give yourself projects and follow through. Just because you're not getting grades doesn't mean you can't do projects - it just means you can do any project you want, purely for the sake of learning.

3. Spend as much time as possible with family. You didn't get to see them a ton when you were in college, and you won't get to see them much when you move out and move on. So soak up every single second with them and make it known how much you appreciate and love them. This is a super rare time in life where you get the best of both worlds - the privileges of adulthood and the perks of being a kid at home. Becoming friends with your parents is one of life's greatest blessings, so take full advantage.

4. Save money. That cash you get from babysitting, dog-walking, digging through the couch cushions for change, whatever. Save it. You never know when you might need it (like for example if three years from now you spontaneously quit your job and have no source of income), and anything you want to blow it on now - like that dress from Urban Outfitters that you must have but shrinks after one wash - isn't nearly as worth it. Trust me.

5. Don't keep wishing for what's next. It's easy to get caught up dreaming of the future. Where you'll be at the end of the summer, the year, whatever. It's natural to want it all now - the fancy job in a new city with a trendy apartment - but resist the temptation to be ready for what's next, next, next. Now is all you have. So live in the spectacular now, 'cause it will be the past soon, and you'll never get it back.

So, Caroline, that's what I've got for you. Take it or leave it, I know you like doing things your own way. But in this case I guess this is your way. Because I'm you and you're me. Ugh, it's all too tacky I can't handle it. Now I remember why I hate these things.