Dear 35-year-old Rachel,
Sup, girl? It's 23-year-old Rachel here. Dreaming about the future as usual, wishing I could fast forward.
Where you're living, what you're doing, and how your life's going--I'm not sure, but I sure hope that you're happy. I hope that you still have a passion for nursing that you had when you were 23. I hope that you still enjoy going to work and taking care of mamas and babies every night. Hopefully you've cut back on your hours a little for other important reasons in your life (i.e. little ones of your own) but don't ever forget why you became a nurse and what it does to your heart when a patient truly appreciates you. Don't forget that you're not SuperWoman. You can't do it all. Learn the word "no" and use it frequently. Don't be the pushover that you were in your 20s. There are more important things than extra obligations, meetings, and overtime at work.
Can you believe you used to stress for hours on end over whether or not you'd ever find a job that you loved? Well, you found it, and I can pretty much guarantee it'll only get better from here. Maybe you followed your dream of becoming a nurse practitioner, or maybe you settled down and took on the role you were born to be--"Mama"--either way, do it with all of your heart.
Your friends when you were 23 were the best people you had ever met. Each one of them brought out a little different piece of you and made you a better person. You were surrounded by more love, laughter, and encouragement than you could've ever asked for. You better have held on tight to those bonds, because friendships like those are once in a lifetime. Call those girls daily. Still have slumber parties into your 40's. Take weekends off for girls' trips. Yeah, and you totally used to stress over who'd be your bridesmaids in your wedding, because we all know it's not acceptable to have 20 attendants (which you totally would've done, just to include everyone you loved.) I'm fairly certain it all worked out in the end. After all--you married the love of your life. It was bound to be a huge celebration.
You were quite smitten over this certain guy in 2011...hopefully you were patient and didn't ruin the best relationship you'd ever had. I sure as heck you held onto that boy. I'll remind you, as usual, things always work out just exactly how they're supposed to. And most times, it turns out so much better than you planned (in your Erin Condren planner...I'm sure you're still toting that thing around. Between it and your iPhone, you think you could run the world.)
You better be living close to your family...don't kid yourself thinking you want to move off and make your own path. You're a homebody. Accept it. Make sure you take plenty of time to go visit Aunt Katie and Uncle Thomas. I'm sure Katie will have kids of her own, but let's hope Thomas is still playing in the MLB :) Treasure your sister, because she'll forever be the friend by your side, until you're all old and wrinkly, when you can't even hear what the other is saying. Love her and remind her how much she means to you. Call your Mama and Daddy daily, just to hear their voice and tell them you love them. Family will always be the constant in your life. Remember that--make memories and treasure every moment, because they're so precious. Spend holidays with them. Let your babies love their grandparents as much as you love your own.
Love God like you loved Him when you were younger. Keep that fire burning. Don't let "life" get in the way of the most important relationship you'll ever have. After all, He is your life, and the only thing that truly matters in the end is living to glorify His name. Don't forget that. You're so easy to slip away sometimes--strive to be smack dab in the middle of His will every day. Teach your babies that. Pray over them and encourage them to grow into godly young men and women. Keep your encouragers (you know, those girls you text first when you're down) close by you at all times--because those friends are the ones that are going to pull you through the hard times, pray with you when you can't find the words, and remind you of your Father who is working for the good in your life. Cling to Him always, Rach.
A few more random thoughts for you (you can write them in your planner...)
Stop trying to make yourself "better." You're the kind that's always trying to improve your looks, but you're beautiful. Know that and believe that.
I sure hope you stopped drinking beer, otherwise I'm sure your backside is quite wide.
Make sure you spend at least every other weekend in the Grove with your kids. Throw the football with them, teach them "Hotty Toddy," dress them up in Ole Miss cheerleading uniforms and football jerseys, and let them experience your home like you did when you were a kid. They'll love it as much as you do--after all, it's a part of them, too.
Oh, and don't let your "aunts" and "uncles" (especially Faye and Alex) tell your kids stories about you when you were in college--none of them are true :)
Go back to Europe. Just do it. Stop waiting until you win the lottery. Just go.
Make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, but don't let them get you down. Be the best nurse, the best wife, the best sister, daughter, and mother that you can be. Follow your heart in every situation and trust that His plan is greater than your own.
And for goodness sake, I hope you're washing your face at night, like your mother always told you. You're gonna have to start getting Botox at the age of 36 at the rate you're going.
Now, go sit down and enjoy your night off. There's a bottle of red waiting on you in the kitchen.
Love,
Me
P.S. Look at your face in this picture and remember how happy you were then...hold onto that. Life is good.
**Stole this little idea from my sweet friend, Kelsie. Love you, Kelk. Thanks for giving me some inspiration. Go visit her blog here!
