When I Was Eight

If I could have a conversation with myself from 5 years ago, I would be eight and the first thing I would say is, “Enjoy life, it goes way too fast.” For me, 5 years ago was when COVID-19 just started. COVID-19 was a worldwide pandemic. During the pandemic, everyone had to stay under lockdown and couldn’t leave their house without a mask. Even with the pandemic, I feel like my life has gone by really quickly.

The reason why I would say that to my little self is when I was growing up. Even when my parents got mad at me for little things, I would still want to enjoy the moment because when they die, I’m going to remember the times when I hated them because they would yell at me for no reason. However, now I know that they yell at me because they just want me to be the best version of myself, even if it comes down to them being mad at me every day. I would tell little me to enjoy the moments with my brother. I would tell little me this because my brother recently went off to college, and I miss him every single day. I miss playing video games with him, going on vacation with him, and him being able to drive me to places I want to go to. My brother and I used to fight a lot, but as we got older, we outgrew that and became really close with each other. I miss him and all the memories we made.

I would then tell little me to go back and enjoy all my primary school years and 7th grade. All of my school years, I have had the best teachers and the best friends ever. I would enjoy all the recesses I can again. The joy of running around and playing tag on the school playground is just something I want to relive again. I would like to go back and spend more time with my teachers; they made my school years great, they helped me when I needed help, and made sure everyone had a fun year. I would go back and enjoy all the little moments I have shared with my friends. Through all the laughter, all the fights, and all the little misunderstandings, we didn’t realize that this would just be a part of us we would miss when we were older.

This is what I would do if I could go back and talk to little me. Tell her to enjoy all the little moments, all the time with family no matter what, and have the greatest time with current and childhood friends. I hope one day, we can actually be able to talk to our little selves, and not just imagine it.