TAKING STOCK: A LETTER TO MY 20-YEAR-OLD SELF

Hey Kassi, how's it hanging?

This is 23-year-old Kassi here, at your service. My 20-year-old self sure does seem like a lifetime ago, before the most amazing person in my current life became my partner and best friend. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that my whole university/Manchester experience vastly improved as soon as Jack became a large part of it. When I think of Manchester now, I think of it as mine and Jack's first home; the place that we met, fell in love, and happily lived for four incredible years (two and a half of which we spent side by side).

If you haven't already guessed, your time in Manchester came to a bittersweet end. With most of your friends having moved elsewhere in the country and with no family within a 100 mile radius, it felt like the right time for you and Jack to pack up your bags and throw yourself into London life. You are still currently unemployed but you're on the hunt for your dream job doing what you know best – writing! Who knew that you could turn your life's love into a career? Thank god we wrote poems and mini novels from such a young age (let's agree to never ever publish these when we get world famous though, yeah? They're for our eyes, and laughs, only).

Having just started your second year of university, you're probably still feeling a little bit lost and uncertain about your degree. I remember first year Kassi oh so well, doing everything that she could to try and change course or even drop out of university all together. A massive thank you goes out to first year Kassi for sticking it out, because guess what? Countless days reading complicated philosophical texts and writing confusing essays on top of the hours spent revising (and sobbing) for exams finally paid off – we graduated with a FIRST! Just like all of our most recent academic results, our degree is definitely my proudest achievement!

If I remember correctly, you've just started to write for the Mancunion, our student newspaper. You went along to your first ever meeting, not knowing where to go and having to leap out of your comfort zone to ask around for the right group of people, and left that evening not knowing whether or not it was something that you wanted to pursue. Muster up all of your courage and stick at it! In your third and final year, you'll take the step up to become one of the editors of the newspaper! As well as a wonderful year filled with fun and new friendships, it'll be a fantastic addition to your CV and be the deciding factor for the beginning of your career.

You may feel old at 20 years of age, but you definitely won't feel as old as I do with two of our closest friends getting married and having little baby girls! Lyndsey got married to the love of her life in the summer of 2016 and it was the most glorious day of joy and laughter. Their first child is due in February next year and I cannot wait to meet, cuddle, and spoil her! Sophie gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl in February this year and actually got married last weekend! Jack and I flew out to Turkey for the special day (and to celebrate my birthday in a much warmer climate, obvs). She looked stunning (as always) and I cried buckets...

This letter has ended up being a hell of a lot longer than I intended and I bow down to you if you've lasted this long. I know what you're like for skimming blog posts so hats off to ya. The last three years have been the happiest of my life, so you have an amazing future to look forward to (as do I, I'm sure). That's not to say that it was without struggle – the last year of uni definitely saw some low points and our first year as graduates wasn't always a smooth ride for me or Jack, but we gave each other upmost support and got through it as a team. You're stronger together – never forget that! As cliché as it sounds, your love can climb mountains.

Alright, I'll round up and sign off. I guess we'll always be too chatty! The best advice that I can give to you is to believe in yourself and work your absolute socks off – the end will definitely justify the means. Love, laugh, and give yourself a break every now and again. Oh, and don't stop running! I wish I'd never stopped.

Love always,

Kassi

P.S. You're blonde and you're rocking it. Don't let the judgment of others ever dictate how you live your life.