致十六岁的自己，青涩而自恋的岁月（音频）

十六岁时的人生是一幅怎样的画卷，你是否还能想起十六岁时的自己是怎样的模样，单纯而美好，青涩而悸动，渴望了解自己，渴望探索世界，渴望拥抱飞扬的青春，渴望向全世界宣布自己独特的存在。下文是Kat写给十六岁的自己的一些话，也送给拥有同样美好青春和宝贵时光的你、我和他 By Katherine Wang

I have two younger cousins, one in Beijing and one in California, starting their “Third Year of High School.” Though I don’t talk to them often, I stalk them online (let’s keep that a secret between you and me). Like a weird old hen, I’m both excited for them and also worried. Are they growing up too fast? Are they eating right? ARE THEY DATING?

I throw myself into a tizzy of anxiety. But, today, I stepped back for a moment and came to this realization: my cousins are way smarter than my 16-year-old self. If I could go back in time, here’s what I would say to myself.

Addressing my awkward, narcissistic 16-year-old self

Let’s have a heart-to-heart.

Firstly, you need to get over how old you think I am. I’m not a dinosaur. I’m not going to need dentures or a cane. That’s for when I turn 30. Just kidding. Now that we’re over the age thing—let me give you a few pieces of advice. Stop yawning—I know you’re just trying to weasel out of this conversation. Ready? Okay.

Take your time. There’s a time for everything—don’t accelerate it. This is especially true for love. Life is much longer than the distance from now until tomorrow.

Maintain your digital diet. You don’t need to spend every waking moment on a device. Being connected has benefits, but please don’t become a victim of the “world wide dead” (yes, this is coming from a Silicon Valley geek).

Study. You’re just starting to define who you want to be and what you want to do. Make sure you study, get the grades, light the midnight oil. But, don’t just study what teachers say you should. Study the other things in life—the people who are transforming your community and the simple stuff that makes our world go round. You will discover that each bit of detail will alter how you view life.

Be an upstander, not a bystander. Your biggest childhood regret is not standing up for that kid. You know that kid. He’s the one who was accused of not fitting in right; the one whose shirt was always stained and whose eyes were made dull by time and anxiety, a puzzle piece in the wrong set. Your biggest regret is walking away. And, it doesn’t matter if you turned away from the taunting. It doesn’t even matter if you were nice to him when the other kids weren’t around. You’ll regret not being more empathetic, more courageous, more of a leader.

Remind your older self that being silly is okay. Make those memories with your friends, and keep them close to you. They will come in handy one day, when you are lost in a pile of papers or stuck in the morning commute to work. When you think back to those shenanigans, you’ll realize again that all of the advice from above still applies.

End of address.