You’ve improved with age (THANK GOD SERIOUSLY ABOUT TIME).

You had a gap in your front teeth, you cut your hair off, cursed like a little sailor, and reeked almost perpetually of chlorine. But, you always knew that you wanted something out of life, so you read and read and read and isolated yourself. Maybe at the cost of a “normal” youth- you never went to a party in high school, you never went on a date, you did sports and had friends but never really pushed yourself very far outside of academia.

But, you had that book collection of places around the world. You knew that you could get out, somehow, and so you found yourself in Switzerland for two years, you badass. You traveled, slept on benches, ate the weirdest foods and had the greatest experiences (don’t forget the glorious friends!). And while you could have pushed yourself more, you still did a great job at soaking up the experience and learning so much more about yourself.

Today, you’re 22, and you’ve lived over two decades. You don’t know what you want, but that’s alright. You’re going to have a great life, just keep being positive and take the opportunities that come before you and don’t look back.