Dear freshman Abby K,

 You’re currently 13-years-old, entering high school with partially-purple hair and the same friends you’ve had for forever. 

I’ve thought a lot about what I’d say to you if I had the chance, and I always imagined I’d give you advice on what not to do or decisions that I’d avoid. So much has changed, and there’s so much I’ve regretted within these past four years. Though there’s countless decisions and moments that I still wince at, now that our time to graduate has arrived, I wouldn’t change any of it, and I hope you learn to see things the same way.

There’s nothing I’d encourage you to regret. Every bad decision we’ve made, friend we’ve lost, or new thing we’ve tried has led us here. 

You’re going to spend a lot of these next four years dwelling, thinking about what you could’ve said or not said, wishing you could go back and change certain outcomes. Soon, you’ll place value in focusing on the future, something you can control, rather than the past. Don’t worry about what you might regret or what you should change. Feel free to get rid of the purple hair though. 

The best of luck, 

Abby