Dear Self,

This letter is from you nine years from now. I know it’s weird, but trust me you’ll be glad that you read this. I want to tell you some things that will make your life much better. Firstly, that girl from church, Elizabeth Erickson, I know you might be afraid to say anything to her now but trust me, you better ask her out before high school or else someone else will. Also, don’t be afraid to tell her how you feel. She will be everything to you soon so don’t blow it for yourself. Your high school years will be the greatest years of your life so please don’t stress yourself out too much. You will find out that all of your worrying is useless and just makes problems worse. You have so much going for you and I can’t wait to see how you turn out after reading this. Remember to be social in high school. The friends that you make will make your high school experience tons of fun and you will make lots of memories. At church, if you ever get the chance to play with the wheel chairs with Derek in the lobby, pass up the opportunity. It may look like fun at the time but you will learn that it is not. At prom, don’t be afraid to dance, once you finally get the courage to dance you will have much more fun. Ben, don’t talk about people behind their back. No good ever comes out of doing so. Finally, do your best to keep your life in perspective. Your biggest problem is that you don’t know what is important in life. Keep pushing on even when you fail a test or are late to a very important event. Remember that everything will work out in the end the way it was meant to.

In friendly constructive criticism,

Ben Kline