September 9, 1946
Dear Lawrence,
To start off, let me tell you that that perfect day is absolutely precious. It reminds me of a novel with its picturesque ideal. It’s very telling about you.
Anyways, I’ve some news for you. Junior year is difficult!! You already know this, but for me it’s only a week in and I’m struggling. I overconfidently decided to take all honors classes because so far in school everything has been simple, but this year has so far been a perfect storm of stress.
But that isn’t interesting to hear about. I talk about school DURING school to my friends as it is, and I’ve talked enough to you about it. I’m more interested to talk about our lives and such in these letters, as they’re sort of a break from reality for me. Are they that way for you? I find that sort of notion romantic, like a solace for one another. Perhaps romantic isn’t the right word. I’m not sure.
So Lawrence, I’ve got a question for you. What’s a song you think would help when you’re feeling confused or bewildered? Lately my mood has been swarmed with unsureness about a number of things. I get distracted by the future to the point where I lose track of the present and what I’m doing nowadays. My obsession is with what I’ll be doing in five years, so what I do to prepare for five years from now is not always a focus for me.
I honestly stray from most students I know in that I do not have a rigid plan for college or everything as of yet. In my family, the one who had that in line was my sister. She was the intelligent one, the one who could get anything she wanted without having to work too hard. People fell under her power easily, leaving me to my own ability. So now that she is out in college studying to become a nurse, I’m under the watchful eye of my parents, who often compare me to her. The whole matter is very cliche, but still very important to me.
I’ve not told anyone this story before but I feel like this is the right time to tell it. I hope you don’t mind hearing about my tumultuous past with her. When I was in junior high and she had just started high school, she began working a job to support our family during the war (before you ask, thankfully none in my family were drafted thanks to one health issue or another). For the next month she never shut up about how important her job was. Even now I don’t remember what it was. Anyways, at dinner one night, we were discussing the role of soldiers and how they’re treated. My sister stated that a lot of soldiers could die without a real loss. She placed emphasis on certain lives over others, and said that as someone working to support this war, she had a right to treat soldiers without respect when they returned home. I found that completely unjust, and told her she was narcissistic for thinking she could treat people however she wanted without consequence.
The worst part was, my parents sat idly by as we argued. I felt powerless as she shut me down entirely. Since then I’ve really despised my sister even more than I had during childhood.
Anyways, thank you for hearing my ramble about career and all that. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the future.
Your friend in letters,
Margaret
Dear Lawrence,
To start off, let me tell you that that perfect day is absolutely precious. It reminds me of a novel with its picturesque ideal. It’s very telling about you.
Anyways, I’ve some news for you. Junior year is difficult!! You already know this, but for me it’s only a week in and I’m struggling. I overconfidently decided to take all honors classes because so far in school everything has been simple, but this year has so far been a perfect storm of stress.
But that isn’t interesting to hear about. I talk about school DURING school to my friends as it is, and I’ve talked enough to you about it. I’m more interested to talk about our lives and such in these letters, as they’re sort of a break from reality for me. Are they that way for you? I find that sort of notion romantic, like a solace for one another. Perhaps romantic isn’t the right word. I’m not sure.
So Lawrence, I’ve got a question for you. What’s a song you think would help when you’re feeling confused or bewildered? Lately my mood has been swarmed with unsureness about a number of things. I get distracted by the future to the point where I lose track of the present and what I’m doing nowadays. My obsession is with what I’ll be doing in five years, so what I do to prepare for five years from now is not always a focus for me.
I honestly stray from most students I know in that I do not have a rigid plan for college or everything as of yet. In my family, the one who had that in line was my sister. She was the intelligent one, the one who could get anything she wanted without having to work too hard. People fell under her power easily, leaving me to my own ability. So now that she is out in college studying to become a nurse, I’m under the watchful eye of my parents, who often compare me to her. The whole matter is very cliche, but still very important to me.
I’ve not told anyone this story before but I feel like this is the right time to tell it. I hope you don’t mind hearing about my tumultuous past with her. When I was in junior high and she had just started high school, she began working a job to support our family during the war (before you ask, thankfully none in my family were drafted thanks to one health issue or another). For the next month she never shut up about how important her job was. Even now I don’t remember what it was. Anyways, at dinner one night, we were discussing the role of soldiers and how they’re treated. My sister stated that a lot of soldiers could die without a real loss. She placed emphasis on certain lives over others, and said that as someone working to support this war, she had a right to treat soldiers without respect when they returned home. I found that completely unjust, and told her she was narcissistic for thinking she could treat people however she wanted without consequence.
The worst part was, my parents sat idly by as we argued. I felt powerless as she shut me down entirely. Since then I’ve really despised my sister even more than I had during childhood.
Anyways, thank you for hearing my ramble about career and all that. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the future.
Your friend in letters,
Margaret