A different take on the identity crisis

I wish someone had told me...

How hard this teaching thing was going to be, before I dove into the pool head first

How harsh Minnesota winters could be

I don't (and probably never will) have all of the answers

And that was OK

How hard it is to get up and go to a group of strangers that all seem to enjoy writing

That these earrings do not go with this outfit, that there is rip in the back of these jeans, and that I really don't belong here

How much I ramble so I don't end up rambling the night away

What was in the punch

That orange is not the new pink

I wish someone would let me know their name, once in a while.

That children have a mind of their own sometimes (OK, all the time.)

I wish someone had told me at least once that I was smart.

I wish someone told me (at least once) that I was pretty...instead of saying that looks aren't important.

That I can be strong and tactful at the same time, that I can make friends at the same time I make enemies, and that I don't need a group of "Friends" to validate my very existence.

That money doesn't grow on a tree in my backyard and that digging to China is harder than it looks.

That San Francisco is more than 1,000 miles away.

I wish someone had told me that I was over 1,000 miles away from home and I would never, ever, need any help.

I wish someone had told me how to survive.