Jaycee Snelson week 14: Dear Past Me

 Jaycee Snelson week 14: Dear Past Me


Dear past me, 

It's almost time for collage,

 So let's see the changes since the past.


Look how much you have grown. 

You're older, smarter, taller, yet you still have far to go. 


You longed to be a dancer full of beauty and grace. 

But you left that life behind to brave every ball to the face. 


No longer do we stop outside to climb the tree so great.

Instead we stay inside the house and read, and cook, and bake.


Your favorite subject was math and while that is still somewhat true. 

This love for it is now split with history too. 


Your family also grew, from three to four to five.

As you watched your siblings grow, right in front of your eyes.


It seems like only yesterday, I couldn’t even read.

But now I’m writing essays with what seems like lightning speed.


No longer do we wish to help every furry friend in need,

Instead we wish to help the youth, full of so much life and glee.


Our friends have come and gone. This much is true.

We lost our best friend, but made many new ones too.


Both our eyes and teeth have gone through some change.

They needed a little help to be switched around from strange.


We no longer wear dresses. That’s a thing of the past.

Instead we were a comfortable pair of stretchy, stretchy pants.


This has been a blast as we reminisce about the past.

But now I must go. I have a class to pass.

Sincerely, 

Future me

Comments

  1. Casmin BuiApril 7, 2026 at 11:09 AM

    Hi Jaycee! It’s really sweet how you speak to yourself because what I often find with myself and others is that we often hate too much on our younger selves. “Oh, I should’ve done this at a younger age… why was I so cringe back then ew!!” I know I find myself hating on my past self too, because I feel like I blame myself for not working on my college apps soon enough and making those friends that I was too shy to make.

    Thank you for mentioning this in your poem! I think it’s very important to look back on your achievements and how far you’ve come. Especially in junior year juggling extracurriculars, academics, and a social life, it can be hard to find peace in accepting and loving what your younger self has done for your current self. And while I do think it’s good to criticize yourself to improve your path moving forward, sometimes the standards are just too high and are bound to promote self-hate.

    Same! I used to also really like wearing cute dresses, but now whenever my mom asks me to wear one for a party, I always refuse. Like you, I also prioritize comfort over everything else, because what’s the point of wearing a pretty dress if you don’t feel great?

    Lovely blog as always, Jaycee!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Disha MurugupandiyanApril 7, 2026 at 11:23 PM

    I love your poem and all the memories about itself that it brought me. You mention that you wanted to be a dancer in the past, but that you left it all behind. It reminds me of dreams that I had as a child: wanting to be a professional athlete, rich, famous. Obviously, a lot of that isn’t in the cards for me, except hopefully the being rich part. Having to part from the dreams you had as a kid is hard, especially when that’s all you ever wanted. Life changes, and people change too. You mention how it felt like just yesterday that you couldn’t read, but now you’re writing essays at lighting speed. As for me, I remember reading books all the time, and now, I barely have any time to read. I would finish two or three books every week, especially with access to an online library at my fingertips. Now, I can barely find time for myself, let alone find a book that I want to read and actually end up getting past the first chapter. I absolutely relate when you talk about friends coming and going. There’s some friends that I thought would be in my life forever as my best friends, but before I knew it, I didn’t even know what they looked like anymore. The way that time passes is crazy, and it seems like just yesterday that I really wanted to go to high school and be a cool teenager. Now, all I want is to go back to third grade, with my biggest worry being about passing my next belt test in taekwondo. Nostalgia is one of my favorite emotions to feel, although it can be a bit bittersweet. Thinking back to all that I enjoyed as a kid is so fun, especially when I start to lose track of what I’m doing now. It’s like listening to a song that I used to love a long time ago.

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