I know you think I’m foolish, that you are outgrowing my need for concern. You think I’m being overprotective, treating you like a little girl. You are getting ready to start high school soon, mature beyond your years. What I wish you could understand, really take onboard, is when I say “be careful” what those words really mean. What I’m really trying to say is …
Be careful with your heart. I know from experience how easily it can be shattered. Don’t offer it to the wrong person. Some will take it without consideration and use it for their own devices. They will waste its precious resources and leave you feeling worthless before you’ve ever noticed. If that happens a few times, you will begin to build a wall around you. A wall so thick and impenetrable that when the right one comes along, it will take them years to break through. You are worthy of so much more.
Be careful how you treat people. This matters more than any single thing you will do in your life. Consider how you behave toward every janitor, check-out clerk, bartender, flight attendant, and CEO. Your demeanor and attitude should never waiver depending on your audience. Manners matter. How you treat others is the single truest reflection of the person you are. There are few occasions in my life where I have wronged someone. No matter what good I have done or have yet to do, I will judge myself based on those circumstances more than any other.
Be careful with yourself. Take time to get to know who you are. Find your voice and form your own opinion. Learn how to argue and also how to listen. If you don’t agree with something, learn how to challenge an idea constructively. And if you aren’t being heard, then learn how to use your voice loudly. You don’t always have to be polite. There are certain situations where you will need to say “F you” and mean it. You will know when it’s time because you will feel it with every ounce of your soul. Don’t ignore your gut.
Be careful with your body. Don’t give it away. I know it may feel good sometimes but the more you do it, the less it becomes your own. Take care of yourself. Put mostly good stuff in it and it will do miraculous things. Occasionally put bad things in it because you only live once. Find a way to move that makes you feel good and do that more than you don’t. Don’t walk alone down back alleys or home from bars at night because there are bad people out there and I watch too much Dateline and I’m your mother so please just listen to me.
Finally, be careful what you wish for. Don’t confuse this with my desire for you to pursue whatever it is that makes you happy. I believe in you and know you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. That is not an empty mantra. You are strong willed and I believe you will realize any goal you set for yourself. But be mindful not to miss what is right in front of you. Take notice of the people and things that surround you. Don’t wish away today for tomorrow, it is not promised to any of us.