Dear Me

Dear Me,
         2007 was a great year but this year can be even better with a few changes. One of the biggest things you need to do is to get better organized. You can't do too much with a sloppy lifestyle. Your forgetfulness and disorganized manner hinders your daily activities. With graduate school lingering in the future, you can't afford to be sloppy. You have to think about your next move ahead of time and learn to plan things better too. If you ever want to get out on your own, you are going to have to gain some skills in the cooking and cleaning area. It wouldn't hurt you to pick up a cookbook every now and  then. You could actually enjoy doing it. Who cares if you messed up the cheesecake you baked for Christmas? Practice makes perfect.
         Another thing you need to work on is your spending. Its not that you spend too much. You just need to be smarter about it and learn to only buy the things you need right now. Money is tight and you can't have everything you want just because you want it. Work on sticking to your budget and you might have enough for that apartment that you want this summer. Build up your bank account and things won't be quite so far out of your reach financially.
         I know exercising isn't the most fun thing in the world and you would rather sit somewhere writing all day long but you need to take some time to get that exercise in. Your knee is not as strong as it needs to be and the physical therapy really do help it, even if it is long and annoying to do. You are strong and should be more concerned with your physical well-being. Maybe you could work some other types of exercises into the routine as well and make it fun for yourself. The doctors know what they are talking about and you shouldn't take risks. Another knee surgery would be a bad thing to have to go through. Drinking less sodas and more water would help in this area too. Your endurance was stronger when you drank water all the time instead of sodas. You will feel so much better if you go back to that.
         The biggest thing you need to work on this year is standing up for yourself. It doesn't matter who the person is that says mean things about you, you need to be able to defend yourself. Don't rely on someone else to do that for you. You deserve to be happy and make your own choices. You shouldn't have to depend on everyone else's opinions. You should be able to be in love and express whatever feelings you have, even if the feelings and thoughts aren't what other people want you to think. Go out there and make all your dreams come true. Happy 2008! Let's have a great year!

                   Sincerely,
                   Brittney L. Casebier