June 22, 2009. © Daniela Violin, All rights reserved

dear owlish,

familiar right? it all started with this poem: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?id=305828, I used a boat analogy but at your level of comprehension I'm sure you'll understand. The long and short of it is your words amaze me (probably something you hear from every single person that comes across your writing who bothers to look at your author page to discover something deeper so I'll try not to be cliche)

To be honest just by looking at your writing at first I thought you were older than I am and lying about your age, you know, as most women do. I really never understood that. My mother (to my knowledge) was "44" for six years of my life, but I digress.

A little while ago you posted a bunch of questions on your author page and I answered them, why? because at your age you should wonder a little less and live a little more.

Remember those roses I told you about? they're gone. Not because they died but because they lived too long. They were given to me by my childhood best friend on my 16th birthday - 16 long stem roses and one for good luck (her mother was a florist) The roses have now outlived our friendship. I am to be 27 in October. I haven't seen her in six years. I became depressed and she didn't want to be my friend anymore and then I moved away. She had all the good intentions --- "I'll visit you in your new place, we can see each other just like we did before (once or twice a year after 16) and we'll be 80 and on our rocking chairs talking about the old days!" We even made a pact. Not one word of that was true .

I guess I should have figured that when I got a card from her for my 21st birthday signed "Your friend for life" without a mention of her name. I still have that card, but like the roses it'll be gone soon as well. It's almost as if she wanted someone to take her place to write their own name. I don't need cards to tell me what friendship and love is anymore, hallmark is a multi-million dollar enterprise of lies. My sister-in-law suggested I write poems for them, yeah, like that will ever happen.

My point in telling you this whole story is... you are young sweetheart, when you think your life is over, in reality it has just started. Anyone you are friends with right now probably won't be your friends in another two years but you will make new ones and maybe those will stay but then maybe you'll lose those too (like I did)

BUT DON'T GIVE UP!!

Life starts when you're done with school. Don't worry about what any teachers say to you or even about your grades (though I'm sure you do very well) in the grand scheme of things they mean nothing (other than that you're prepared for life) I went through school with good marks, A-pluses in college but yet I still can't find a job I went to school for and even so, l'm happy.

I'm not telling you not to be smart but please don't try so hard. Your childhood is still with you and will be for six more years. Enjoy it. You'll have up to 80 or more years after that to be an adult. Now's not the time.

It's summer, 22 degrees and humid here in Oakville, ON. I'm about to turn on my air conditioner. I don't know where you are or what the weather's like where you live but the next time the weather lets you, go outside and play, even if it's just basketball on your driveway or someone else's (that's what I did at your age) If the weather's not letting you at this very moment who cares? go out and jump in a puddle!! For reference, when it's winter make snow-angels or a snowman (I still do that), go pick flowers in the spring.

Don't worry about getting old, don't worry about dying. It will come to you but in the meantime, live sweetheart, you've only got one life.

Happy Birthday!

With love,

Daniela

p.s. whatever you do, don't let that terrible thing called Facebook suck you in, let the past be the past. It's something I wish I had done, you'll thank me.