Baby, You're Just Getting Started!

“This is our happily ever after,” a student told the crowd. 

With furrowed eyebrows I thought THIS is my happy ending? 

High school was by far the worst four years of my life. 

A time when I endured more pain than I thought humanly possible and felt lonelier than I could sometimes bear.

The speaker and I were the same age, but had two VERY DIFFERENT experiences.

She had study sessions at coffee shops and slumber parties with friends. Got her driver’s license at 16. Played on a Varsity sports team. Attended school dances. Had a boyfriend. And was Valedictorian. 

Me? 

Well, I spent a lot of time at home. In bed. Sick. Didn’t go to a single school dance. Wasn’t anywhere near having a boyfriend. Still needed to get my license. And endured multiple spinal operations.

In fact, this picture was taken a month after my last back surgery.

Consumed by shame, I was a late bloomer.

Maybe you feel that way now. Same age as someone else, but miles behind on life experiences. 

I know this ache. It’s hard. Painful, even.

I want to share with you what I wish I could have whispered to my 18-year-old self: “Baby, you’re just getting started!”

Tell her she is going to use the pain of the past as motivation to build a passionate life.

Amanda girl, you are going to go on adventures. 

Live in Italy for three months.

Go paragliding in the Swiss Alps.

Earn your B.S. in Psychology.

Film yourself almost getting struck by lightning and have it aired on national television. 

Hold a freshly removed human brain and help dissect it.

Have a few of your essays published in Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Work at Disneyland.

Become a flight attendant for a major U.S. Airline. 

Meet the love of your life at 22, but marry him at 27. 

Yes, the past four years were rough, but stop comparing yourself to others. Keep showing up to life! Run your race. Follow your curiosity. Be brave. Love deeply. 

Because baby, you’re just getting started!