Love and Shoes,
Kim
A Letter to My Younger Self
Hey Miss Priss, yeah you, the one with all the sass. I'm you, 15 years from now, here to give you some advice so listen up and listen good.
You'll stress about fitting in the right crowd and the right pant size. There is no 'right' crowd and pants will never fit you the way you want them too, but you'll be just fine. That's why dresses were created, and lucky for us, they never go out of style!
You'll wonder is my hair straight enough? Are my shoes cool enough? Do I have the right friends? Will I get married?
You're hair is curly, always will be, and older women will tell you to appreciate it till the day you die, which will piss you off because you clearly know more than they do, right? Wrong. The invention of the hair straightener will change your life until you realize you live in Houston and will battle frizz no matter how much product you shellac on there. Deal with it. People are dying of Cancer. You can deal with curls.
Never worry about your shoes. You will have a shoe room that people will make fun of but really envy, you'll have the keen sense of knowing a shoe can make an outfit, and will develop a reputation for having fabulous shoes. You will choose a cute wedge over a flat any day of the week knowing it's not good for your sawdust knees but, damn it, it makes your legs look longer, and in the end, that's all that matters.
Your friends are the great loves of your life. Women that get you, appreciate you, and will back up any crazy idea you can ever dream up. Keep them close to your heart and never let those friendships go. They will become women you admire and lean on for the rest of your life and are completely and utterly irreplaceable. You always make time for friends.
As for marriage, hell if I know! We're 32 now and we've had quite the ride. You win some, you lose some, and you date some real ass clowns that could be contenders for Douche bag of the Year. You're going to get your heart broken into a million pieces, hate them for doing it, blame yourself, compare yourself to the new whores, I mean, girls, and then hate them all over again. But guess what? You'll live. You'll date. You'll love. All I can say is that you've got some great stories for your memoir, should you ever choose to write one. It's a concrete jungle out there and you are quite the lioness, just don't show your fangs all the time. There are some good ones out there.
You're body image will never be what it should be: 100% positive. Appreciate what you have and how you look at every moment, because with each year, or minute, that passes by, it gets that much harder to lose weight; to fit into trendy clothes; and to get your ass dressed in the first outfit you choose, which will NEVER happen, so figure out when you should start getting ready and back it up about 15 minutes. You'll complain that your weight is a byproduct of a faulty thyroid, when in reality, it's the food that goes down your throat. One day you'll be taking shots in your Forever 21 top that could double as an ice skaters costume and before you know it, you'll be having a conversation with your friend about how you prefer a mid-rise cut over a low-rise jean. WTF!?! My thoughts exactly. But it happens in the blink of an eye. Just remind yourself that you are beautiful, and no matter what the mirror tells you or what you think in your head, you are NOT a heifer that should just wear a pillow case with a belt.
You're going to worry about money, savings, 401Ks and salary and then you're going to go out and buy a car, one of the worst investments you could ever make, but you love it, and the fact that you couldn't unlock your driver-side door was reason enough to go into debt. You're going to wonder about your jobs, if you should follow your passion, and where life is going to take you. Don't be afraid of the fear because it will paralyze you. Hold on to what you love and keep that in your sight. You will be scared to make big moves, but if you are ever going to find your happiness, you're going to have to let go of your security blanket. Take the leap.
You're going to think your family, immediate and extended, is crazy, and they are, but they are also the people who will mold you, teach you, love you, and provide you with some of the best material for jokes and impersonations to last you a lifetime. Your mom and dad will do anything for you and will love you more than anyone in the whole wide world, no matter what you do, so never take that for granted. They gave you life! Your sister will be your best friend, the person that can make you laugh the hardest, and will always be there for the ups, downs, and everything in between. She might be 4.5 years younger, but she'll turn out to be one of the biggest inspirations in your life.
So, now that I've delivered a few tough pills to swallow, let me spell out the moral of this story. Life is confusing and tangled but it's also beautiful and amazing. There will be days when you feel like you are on top of the world and then there will be days where you could just give up. You will feel accomplished and left behind all in one week. You'll feel ugly and pretty all in the same hour! But let me be clear, you are who you are, there is no one like you, you are loved, and that is enough. You are enough. Cheers!
P.S. You love dogs more than shoes. Shocking, I know!
