9 years from now.

So today I was thinking about how people get sidetracked when they get older. Sidetracked from perfect happiness. Because they get stuck working at a job that makes them furious just to pay the bills. And they get stuck in a relationship they hate because it easier to be in a relationship you hate than to change your life, right? And they get stuck a million other ways. And I think that might be one of the things that I am most afraid of- getting myself stuck so I am not only unhappy but I feel as though it is out of my ability to change my situation. So I thought I would write a letter to myself as an adult. Oh, wait, adulthood happened a year and a month ago, but lets be real, I won't be an adult until at least age 28. Yes, thats the age deadline I've decided to give myself. By that age I need to be acting semi-responsibly. Okay so here's my letter to 28 year old Chelsea...

First of all stop running around. Make yourself a cup of tea or something for God's sake and for five minutes out of the day : breathe. Sit down and take your time reading this.

1. If it sucks- don't do it. There is another way to do whatever it is that is so miserable. If its your job, unless you are suffering through a low level job and you are sure that this is going to be some sort of stepping stone to a better job- peace out. At nineteen you got paid 12.50 an hour to watch little kids and play on the beach all day. So if you are getting paid less than that now to do something shittier- stop that nonsense immediately. If its a guy that sucks- why are you still around? Your life is not a mario game, you don't have a few more lives waiting after you let this one crash and burn. You only have so many years in your life. So enjoy them all in glowable bliss. But on the other hand know that even good things are not good 100% of the time. Give problems time to work themselves out, and be patient. But make sure that every day you wake up with him, you are absolutely in love. And if THAT is not the case- then don't be waking up next to him any longer.

2. Act in a way every day that will allow you to lay down at the end of the night thinking that you are a kind, good person. Make sure that you don't hurt people. And if you do, apologize and fix what you can. But don't act selfishly. Yes, your happiness is important but you also need to be making other people happy.

3. Make sure you stay close to your family. You may not want to live in MC Maine but you know what? If you drift from them who knows how far you'll let yourself get before you realize you want to be close again. So just stay close. They will keep you grounded. And yes, you need it.

4. Go on another adventure. There is no way by age 28 that you have gone on enough adventures for your lifetime. So pack up and peace out. Go live somewhere else for a year. Go exploring and scuba diving and eating all around the world and write about all of it.

5. If you aren't writing its because you are either A) being a wuss about people reading your work or B) you aren't trying hard enough to be writing. So get your shit together. It will make you happier than anything else.

6. Don't write marriage off. Just wait long enough.