Dear Reader,
Have you ever heard the song "Letter to Me" by Brad Paisley? It elaborates on an interesting idea of writing to a younger version of himself. What would you write to yourself at a younger age? I have often thought about time travel and changing the past and have discovered a few things.
First of all, if something in the past is changed, the entire future is altered. For example, if you write a letter to yourself at the age of 18 with instructions to not participate in a certain activity, your memory of that activity is erased and the opportunities and lessons learned from the experience are lost, perhaps never to be returned. That means that if it were possible to change the past, you could only change one thing about it. If you want to know more about this concept, I suggest that you watch the Back to the Future trilogy (1985).
However, if we ignore this first discovery, it is fun to think about what might have been if we did things differently. How would you feel if you hadn't gone to that University you graduated from? What would have happened to that friendship you started in high school if you hadn't gone to Prom together? That is not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wondering about the past.
In honor of this song, I want to write a letter to myself when I was sixteen about the next 6 years of my life. It goes like this:
"Dear Dale,
Happy Summer before your high school experience! This is from you when you are in college at the age of 22. Meaning I am you. I am in a pretty good place in life, but there are several things you can change in the next couple of years before you meet me.
Study your scriptures! There will always be excuses not to, but do it anyway. Make time for it. You might think you are busy, but believe me. You are not as busy as you will be down the road. Along with that scripture study, don't be afraid to share your thoughts with your friends. That one friend you will have that is not a member of the church? She will get baptized after your mission. just be there for her right now. Don't worry about converting her. That guy from driver's ed? Do try to convert him. It will be hard, but it will make a big difference in his life. I don't know if he will ever join the church, but he needs a spiritual lift from you.
Don't date seriously in high school. What I mean is don't start a relationship with anyone. Date around and go out with lots of girls. There will be a girl in the choir that is very cute. Take her out ASAP. You will be very good friends. She is the girl that talks about Disney on one of your first days in algebra. That girl from your algebra class that sits in front of you? Don't worry about trying to impress her. You can be good friends, but don't think about being anything more. That girl from the Grandview ward? Take her out at least once. Bottom line, take out lots of girls. Not just to dances, either. Get good group dates together. Life will be so much smoother.
That habit you have that you think no one knows about? Stop it. It's disgusting. You're welcome.
Don't do donuts in the parking lot after it snows. It is fun, but it is dangerous. Dad will let you do a couple donuts if you ask him. You won't have to worry about this until after your driver's ed class (Which, by the way, is almost completely useless, but go anyway. That girl from your algebra class is there and she will appreciate your friendship). Your teacher is kind of crazy and will give you weird nicknames. Just roll with it.
That scripture study I was talking about needs to be accompanied with prayer. Lots of it. You'll thank me later. Right now thank your Heavenly Father.
There will be a night in your junior year that you will want to go hang out with a girl at the park. Don't go. Just go to your rehearsal. It is NOT worth it.
Speaking of rehearsals, spend more time in music. That will sound a little crazy considering how much time you are going to spend a lot of time in the band room. Practice your trumpet at least an hour a day. Take lessons from your band teacher. He will not only be one of your good friends, but he has a lot to teach you. Yes, you will be very important to your band and the kids there, but don't become arrogant about it. As for the choirs you will be in, don't be so uptight about them. Your director will be crazy, but stand up to her and you will earn her respect. She values your input and hard work. Be more dedicated to the big band outside of school. They may be older than you, but you will learn a lot from them and create great connections.
As tempting as it sounds to take those classes to get out of a class in college, don't take them. Just take the class in college. You won't learn a lot in either place, so you might as well, take other classes in high school.
You will do this anyway, but I just want to point it out. Curtis will do a lot of things that get him into trouble. You will try not to follow his example. That is exactly what you should do. In fact, you probably won't see him much. I don't know what to tell you about that.
You know all that time you think don't have? A lot of it is spent playing video games. I can tell you that all those video games will get you is some comments about being a nerd. Use that time to practice music more and work on your dancing. You will love it even more. Use it to discover Barbershop music. That is what you will be doing when we finally meet.
When your mission call finally comes, you will have to wait a while before leaving. Use that time to study Preach My Gospel. Out in the mission field, it will feel like that book is ingrained in your head. That is good. Your companions will sometimes have troubles. Don't judge the first one in Curacautin. Or the second one in Esmeralda. Work with them the best that you can. Keep in touch with your second companion from Coronel. He is a cool guy.
After your mission, it will seem like a good idea to visit your junior one day. It is. Go watch the girl's soccer game. It will help you out immensely.
Remember that girl that sat in front of you in algebra sophomore year. She will most likely have just broken up with a great guy. That guy will be your roommate. She might hate you forever. I actually haven't figured that one out yet. But room with him. He and his roommate will be life-long friends of ours. Move to Campus Plaza ASAP. Ask out the roommate of said girl. She is a red-head. You will love getting to know her.
Don't take Computer Science. You will want to because it will sound like your life calling. Do not do it. Take more dance classes. Hopefully you will have spent more time practicing music, which means you will be ready to apply for the music program when you get back from the mission.
Take this advice with skepticism if you must. You are pretty cautious. However, there is a phrase you will learn that stands for 'You only live once.' Live by that motto to a certain point.
Sincerely,
Dale
PS Seriously, quit that bad habit of yours. It is BEYOND disgusting."
That might be a lot of information. If you don't know everything I'm referring to, don't worry. I'm still figuring out a lot of life. YOLO!
Have you ever heard the song "Letter to Me" by Brad Paisley? It elaborates on an interesting idea of writing to a younger version of himself. What would you write to yourself at a younger age? I have often thought about time travel and changing the past and have discovered a few things.
First of all, if something in the past is changed, the entire future is altered. For example, if you write a letter to yourself at the age of 18 with instructions to not participate in a certain activity, your memory of that activity is erased and the opportunities and lessons learned from the experience are lost, perhaps never to be returned. That means that if it were possible to change the past, you could only change one thing about it. If you want to know more about this concept, I suggest that you watch the Back to the Future trilogy (1985).
However, if we ignore this first discovery, it is fun to think about what might have been if we did things differently. How would you feel if you hadn't gone to that University you graduated from? What would have happened to that friendship you started in high school if you hadn't gone to Prom together? That is not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wondering about the past.
In honor of this song, I want to write a letter to myself when I was sixteen about the next 6 years of my life. It goes like this:
"Dear Dale,
Happy Summer before your high school experience! This is from you when you are in college at the age of 22. Meaning I am you. I am in a pretty good place in life, but there are several things you can change in the next couple of years before you meet me.
Study your scriptures! There will always be excuses not to, but do it anyway. Make time for it. You might think you are busy, but believe me. You are not as busy as you will be down the road. Along with that scripture study, don't be afraid to share your thoughts with your friends. That one friend you will have that is not a member of the church? She will get baptized after your mission. just be there for her right now. Don't worry about converting her. That guy from driver's ed? Do try to convert him. It will be hard, but it will make a big difference in his life. I don't know if he will ever join the church, but he needs a spiritual lift from you.
Don't date seriously in high school. What I mean is don't start a relationship with anyone. Date around and go out with lots of girls. There will be a girl in the choir that is very cute. Take her out ASAP. You will be very good friends. She is the girl that talks about Disney on one of your first days in algebra. That girl from your algebra class that sits in front of you? Don't worry about trying to impress her. You can be good friends, but don't think about being anything more. That girl from the Grandview ward? Take her out at least once. Bottom line, take out lots of girls. Not just to dances, either. Get good group dates together. Life will be so much smoother.
That habit you have that you think no one knows about? Stop it. It's disgusting. You're welcome.
Don't do donuts in the parking lot after it snows. It is fun, but it is dangerous. Dad will let you do a couple donuts if you ask him. You won't have to worry about this until after your driver's ed class (Which, by the way, is almost completely useless, but go anyway. That girl from your algebra class is there and she will appreciate your friendship). Your teacher is kind of crazy and will give you weird nicknames. Just roll with it.
That scripture study I was talking about needs to be accompanied with prayer. Lots of it. You'll thank me later. Right now thank your Heavenly Father.
There will be a night in your junior year that you will want to go hang out with a girl at the park. Don't go. Just go to your rehearsal. It is NOT worth it.
Speaking of rehearsals, spend more time in music. That will sound a little crazy considering how much time you are going to spend a lot of time in the band room. Practice your trumpet at least an hour a day. Take lessons from your band teacher. He will not only be one of your good friends, but he has a lot to teach you. Yes, you will be very important to your band and the kids there, but don't become arrogant about it. As for the choirs you will be in, don't be so uptight about them. Your director will be crazy, but stand up to her and you will earn her respect. She values your input and hard work. Be more dedicated to the big band outside of school. They may be older than you, but you will learn a lot from them and create great connections.
As tempting as it sounds to take those classes to get out of a class in college, don't take them. Just take the class in college. You won't learn a lot in either place, so you might as well, take other classes in high school.
You will do this anyway, but I just want to point it out. Curtis will do a lot of things that get him into trouble. You will try not to follow his example. That is exactly what you should do. In fact, you probably won't see him much. I don't know what to tell you about that.
You know all that time you think don't have? A lot of it is spent playing video games. I can tell you that all those video games will get you is some comments about being a nerd. Use that time to practice music more and work on your dancing. You will love it even more. Use it to discover Barbershop music. That is what you will be doing when we finally meet.
When your mission call finally comes, you will have to wait a while before leaving. Use that time to study Preach My Gospel. Out in the mission field, it will feel like that book is ingrained in your head. That is good. Your companions will sometimes have troubles. Don't judge the first one in Curacautin. Or the second one in Esmeralda. Work with them the best that you can. Keep in touch with your second companion from Coronel. He is a cool guy.
After your mission, it will seem like a good idea to visit your junior one day. It is. Go watch the girl's soccer game. It will help you out immensely.
Remember that girl that sat in front of you in algebra sophomore year. She will most likely have just broken up with a great guy. That guy will be your roommate. She might hate you forever. I actually haven't figured that one out yet. But room with him. He and his roommate will be life-long friends of ours. Move to Campus Plaza ASAP. Ask out the roommate of said girl. She is a red-head. You will love getting to know her.
Don't take Computer Science. You will want to because it will sound like your life calling. Do not do it. Take more dance classes. Hopefully you will have spent more time practicing music, which means you will be ready to apply for the music program when you get back from the mission.
Take this advice with skepticism if you must. You are pretty cautious. However, there is a phrase you will learn that stands for 'You only live once.' Live by that motto to a certain point.
Sincerely,
Dale
PS Seriously, quit that bad habit of yours. It is BEYOND disgusting."
That might be a lot of information. If you don't know everything I'm referring to, don't worry. I'm still figuring out a lot of life. YOLO!
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