Hey there troubled youth. Let your Xanga breathe for a hot second and listen to a wiser version of yourself. Seventeen is a very, very fun year for you. To be honest I basically condone every choice you're gonna make this year because you're still so stubborn it's hilarious. Also, keep thinking a drop of alcohol will kill you because it, surprisingly, gives you an edge. And just so you're aware, literally no one at Macys cares that you sample the perfume. Spritz away.

You'll be sad to learn our nails don't stay painted on the regular anymore, and we own more than one pair of shoes with laces. In fact, I'm in jeans more than not these days. I know that crushes your soul. But we finally found the right red lipstick and all the power that comes with it.
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I was thinking about your dream, recently: you wanted to go to college in New York and work in Marketing or PR or something equally flashy and you had this dream where, at 26, you decided to give it all up and re prioritize your life. This sounds nutty, but then, so are we. Well things didn't turn out that way. College was put on the back burner because some friends had this great idea that, despite your wishes, never really played out. So instead of going to college at all, you went to Europe. As much as The College Experience sounds fun and we definitely missed out on parts of it, I'm so eternally glad for the time spent in Europe and Australia.

You have this trait where you constantly take care of other people: from you sister with Downs syndrome to your friends after a night of drinking. This is fine and good but you must remember to take care of yourself as well. Don't give yourself so much unnecessary responsibility that you become overwhelmed and burn out. It's okay to be the fun aunt instead of the replacement mother.

You really must learn to say "no" when you want to. People will respect you and in the off chance that they don't, it means they probably never did to begin with. Don't let other people's needs get in the way of your success. You'll fail a class over a boy and that is just unacceptable.

Don't be so petty with people who leave your life and don't check up on them on social media. If you're bored, learn another language. As Grandmother said, "Let the people behind you worry about themselves".

As cheesy as most Pinterest-inspired quotes can be, what they say is true: if it's meant to be, it will be. Sometimes it just doesn't happen the way we thought it would, and that's okay.