The Putnam Scoop

Brad Paisley will be in concert at the Charleston Civic Center on November 30^th. If you’d like to purchase tickets, *Click Here*.

I love Brad Paisley. I love that he’s a West Virginia boy to be proud of and I love his music. His songs make me laugh, touch my heart or make me think – sometimes all at once.

His song “Letter to Me” makes me wonder what I’d say to 17-year-old me if I could. Writing it was an exercise in thankfulness, so I think this is a perfect time to share. I realize I wouldn’t change much, even the bad stuff. All of it built “me”, and that’s not a bad thing to be. Here’s mine, and I challenge you to think about what you’d say to your 17-year-old self if you could. (Then go say it to your kids.)

Hey, Sarah.

Yes, it’s you. Get over it and listen, Girl.

Stay in touch with your friends. You’ll outlive some of them and I won’t say who. Just love ‘em all while you can. Some of them will still be right there by your side when you’re 38. (And no, that won’t feel old. No, it really won’t.)

When you see someone being treated unfairly, stand up for them. Other people will stand with you, they’re just waiting for someone to go first. Go first.

You’re going to marry the wrong guy. I won’t tell you not to, because it will lead you where you need to go. Life will get better. Just remember during the bad times, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” I promise, it will be worth it later. You WILL find the right guy. You’ll know him when he smiles. :o)

There will come a time when it will seem like you’re about to do the stupidest thing ever. Your heart will whisper, “Girl, you better do it.” Listen to the whisper. It’s right, and the rest of them are wrong. Trust it every damn time.

It’s OK not to know what you want to be when you grow up. There’s no finish line, no place where you suddenly have to know the answers. It’s better to let yourself keep evolving rather than to pick one thing to “be”.

You’ll get to be a Mom. Holding babies doesn’t spoil them. Love them as much as you want. They turn out to be the best people ever. Enjoy.

If you wonder if you can do it, TRY. I bet you can.

If you think something isn’t right, work to change it. You aren’t the only one who thinks it’s wrong.

Don’t worry so much. Trust a little more. Take chances. Play hard and love harder.

I won’t ruin the surprises. It’s a great life. Go live it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O70e7uN-WYI

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 21st, 2007 at 4:08 pm and is filed under Activities, Charleston, Fun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.