I promised one article a month; you’re getting one article a month. It may take me until the last day of the month every month, but you’ll get your damn article. Be patient.
I woke up this morning knowing that I needed to write something within the next 48 hours, but couldn’t think of a topic. Video is my preferred media, but I do enjoy writing. Last night one of my old homies had a piece he wrote posted on Red Bull, so that was inspiration enough to sit down and start typing.
You can see his piece here: https://www.redbull.com/us-en/cooper-webb-overcomes-career-challenges
More and more often I find myself sitting in my home office listening to music or catching up on YouTube. Country music is generally not on my day-to-day playlist but tonight, sitting here listening to one of my old iPods, I came across ‘Letter To Me’ by Brad Paisley. In short, Brad talks about what he would write to the seventeen year-old version of himself and what advice he would give himself. Hindsight is always 20/20, right?
Originally I thought of doing this as a video, but it doesn’t really fit with the genre of content my friends and I are focused on creating, at least not for the time being. So until then, Enjoy.
Quick synopsis for those of you just tuning in: My teen years were less than what anyone would’ve hoped for. (See last month’s article.)
Bailey-
You’re 17 now but you need to listen to me, and listen closely. This shitshow isn’t going to slow down, but it definitely gets better. I know you’re not where you want to be right now, but you’re going to school next fall and it’s going to open doors. You’re going to get out of Manheim. I regret to inform you that you’ll be back, but it’s going to be on your terms, so it’s different.
The cycle of buying blue vehicles continues, as does the cycle of selling them in the winter when you’re not in the best headspace. The place you’re in mentally does get better, though. When you moved to Pittsburgh, you ended up with an awesome group of friends who will help you with a serious bullshit situation you’ll face. I’m not going to touch that in this letter because:
1. I have to leave something to be a surprise. I know how much you just love surprises!
2. It makes the letter more entertaining in case anyone else happens to read it.
You’re going to turn down the chance to apply for a dream job, which may turn out to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – it’ll make sense in time. That being said: you’re still an idiot but I have no doubt you’ll flip the script and end up with another shot at it down the road.
You’ll make a bunch of friends and money off of something that started as a burner account on Twitter, so that’s pretty cool.
Oh yeah, there’s a water service cover on 26th street that’s going to cost you some money if you don’t swerve left.
Actually, maybe don’t drive static cars.
Actually, maybe don’t drive cars that aren’t yours.
Definitely don’t drive static cars that aren’t yours.
I want to tell you that it’s okay to sleep through wake up calls. In fact, sometimes you’re better off that way. Trust me on that. When you’re E46 starts burning coolant, remember to put the cap back on after you fill it, it might overheat two hours from home. It definitely does that.
A little bit of patience, persistence and positivity goes a long way. Focus on yourself and say no to anything that’s not 100% what you want. Never Fold, Never Settle. I’ll see you in the mirror eventually!
-Bailey
P.S.: What the hell did you do to your knees? Maybe stop that. You feel 45 at 24 and I’m straight up not having a good time.
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