Beyond My Years

Recently, I came across a letter hidden in the back of my desk. It was a letter to myself that I had written at the end of elementary school as one of my last assignments. I received the letter in high school when my 5th grade teacher passed away after a battle with cancer. I had been so surprised that she had kept the letters, but then, I wasn't surprised at all.

When we wrote the letters, she told us she would mail them to us when we were in high school, so that we wouldn't forget who we were as kids. I should have known that of all the people to follow through on their word, it would be her. My teacher was an incredible woman with the patience of a saint, and I am so grateful for the words she left with me, not least of all being the small note she had attached, reading, "Elizabeth-a quiet, thoughtful girl with a gentle spirit..." along with a few other memories from our class. I only hope if she were here today, she would think the same of me.

After a few moments of reflection on her class and my childhood, I opened the letter and began to read. It was all I could do not to laugh. The letter began with this:

"Dear Elizabeth,
I hope you are doing well. I hope you are happy. Are you behaving? Are you doing drugs? If you are, you should stop. They are very bad for you. Be nice to your sister. I hope you are getting good grades..."

Wow. I must have had some really high hopes for myself as a high schooler. It's nice to know my 10-year-old self didn't have much confidence in my future character.

Granted, since I was young, I was always accused of being "motherly" for my age. I acted as a miniature mom to kids who were crying in preschool, bringing them tissues and giving them hugs (or so I'm told; I don't remember this). After my sister was born, I was convinced I knew exactly how my mother should be raising her, and I shared my opinions on her upbringing freely. (Disclaimer: my mom has always been an amazing parent to my sister and I--as has my dad-- and always made us feel loved and cherished) I'm not sure why I felt I knew better than they did how to be a parent.

Regardless, I'm happy to report that, no, I am not doing drugs, nor have I ever. Oh, and yes, I am aware of the dangers of drugs. I managed to keep my grades up, even though math has always been my enemy. I don't have much hope with physics either. I am happy, thank you very much, and other than my old lady knee that creaks when I go up a set of stairs, I am doing well.