News Staffer Eliza Ingle is pictured smiling in North Carolina on June 7, 2013. As Ingle has gotten older, she has struggled with a myriad of personal issues, but they ultimately assisted in her growth and development. “Every difficult experience is an opportunity to make yourself better, and while it may be hard to see it now, things will always eventually work out for you,” Ingle said. Photo courtesy of Mary Anne O’Neal
Hello, I’m Eliza Ingle, a sophomore and a news staffer for the ODYSSEY Media Group at Clarke Central High School, and this is Letters to my Younger Self. In this podcast, students share a letter they’d like to give to their past selves full of advice, warnings, encouragement and insight into what their future holds. This is my letter to my younger self.
Dear 11-year-old Liza,
Wow, can you believe it? You’re about to start middle school, a whole new chapter in the book of your life. I know the transition period between middle and high school can seem scary— and trust me, it will be. However, it’ll go by sooner than you think.
If you were going into this letter with an optimistic attitude, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. While these challenges ultimately lead to growth, strength and opportunity, there’s nothing I could say to prepare you for the hardships you will face over these next few years. However, while you may struggle loving yourself now, as a sophomore in high school I can confidently say that I am in love with the young woman I have become.
This first year of middle school will feel like a lifetime, but in reality, it’ll be over in a breeze. You’ll be introduced to new people and make new friends. Those friends will betray and hurt you in more ways than one, but you will mend your relationship with them in the long run. You’ll be introduced to being rebellious, but you will soon realize that you aren’t cut out to be a troublemaker.
The challenges that you face towards the end of the school year will be paramount. There will be a fight with someone you never wanted to hurt. It will turn physical. The consequences with your school, friends, and parents, will chase after you.
In the following school year, 7th grade, you’ll be at a new school. Here, you’ll make lifelong friends with unbreakable bonds. You will also face harassment and isolation from most of your peers because of your sexuality. It’s going to be hard to see positivity in people when you’re surrounded by so much hate. Whatever you do, don’t let them influence you to become a version of yourself that you do not recognize.
Once you approach your final year, go out with a bang. Don’t falter behind because you lack motivation. You’ll again be surrounded by that teenage world that others seem to love, full of rebellion and angst, and again, you will turn away from it, even if that means losing friends in the process. Your mother will get sick again, and you’ll have to support her while she lives with an ostomy bag and goes through chemotherapy. At times, you’ll feel helpless, defeated and broken- like the universe is against you.
But I’m not writing this to discourage you or make you feel dread about the future to come — I’m here to tell you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Every difficult experience is an opportunity to make yourself better, and while it may be hard to see it now, things will eventually work out for you. Your pain will turn into something positive, making it easier for you to understand others pain. I’m still so proud of you for the obstacles you’re going to overcome. Just know, it’ll get better, and worse, and then better again. Life is a never-ending cycle of pain and happiness, and all you can do is make it through.
With love, your 16-year-old self
