While I was in highschool, and a few years after, I was a small group leader for a group of girls in our youth group. They were just about to start high school at the time and I was prepping to enter that next stage called real life. Well, this year they are graduating.

It is crazy how fast the time has gone. But yet, it seems like a lifetime ago.

This past week, while shooting a couple grads I have been thinking about just that… If I could write a letter to that 17 year old me…

…

Dear Me,

Hey girl. You are graduating. So exciting.

First off, I just wanted to say enjoy it. I know you are dying to get out. To work and move on with life. I know you planned your high school agenda so you could work almost full time in your grad year, and that was a great choice. But just remember to be young sometimes. Because well, you are only 17 once.

Second. The little things… well, they really don’t matter. So wear those converse as you walk across the stage and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks you should wear. Rock them. They look pretty fun. And PS. your feet loved you for it at the end of the night. :)

Oh Taliah, there is so much I wish you could know. Could understand and see. But that is the beauty of it. Of life. Of learning. You will know someday. Maybe never fully, but you will understand. You will grow in ways you never new possible. You will learn; about life and yourself. There will be some bumps along the way. Oh, will there be bumps. Lessons. Blessings in disguise. Maybe. (Hopefully!) They are a pain, to be honest. But it’s ok.

Although you may never know why. I know one thing. Being truly happy is a beautiful thing. You won’t really realize you were’t all along until you actually are.

I know you are torn. Torn in deciding what you want to do. Torn and confused because there is no plane ticket booked or university acceptence letter with your name on it. Torn because you don’t know how to dream yet. And well, getting married and having the white picket fence seems so appealing. It’s every girls end goal right, so why not just skip a couple steps?? Well, honey it’s not. There is so much more in store for you. I know you want it. I know you are trying to come up with something exciting for them to say in those two sentences. Those two darn sentences they read about your future plans as you walk across the stage. Not because you want to go get a degree. Not because you are ready to pick  up and travel the world. But because you feel you should. Because other people’s dreams and plans feel exciting. They seem better. They sound better. Well guess what. Those sentences DO NOT define your life. They do not define how successful you will be or where you are going in life. If anything, those sentences taught you to dream. To think about the possibilities and what you might possibly want to do… and what you really DON’T. Dream. You will get better at it. WAY better. But those sentences were just the beginning. And photography… it will become more than just an idea. Taliah, you will build a life way more fullfilling based on YOUR dreams. And those are the two best sentences they could ever write.

Taliah, your life will be nothing like the one you’ve planned. But it will be SO much better.

Enjoy the journey!

– T