There are a lot of things people wish they could tell themselves years ago to change. One thing people wish they could do, as the country music artist Brad Paisley named a song for, is send a letter to themselves years ago. Personally, there are a lot of things I would say in a letter to myself, starting things at about the age of twelve, when I was starting junior high. The letter would go something like this:
"Hey, Mark. This is you from the future, last few months from graduation. I can prove I am you, as the design for 'Ja-Ma' is inspired by 'Tak', designing games is a part of who we are, starting at about the third grade, and you have no real clue who to believe: Mom or Dad. Plenty of things would or will happen.
One day, when heading down to lunch, a girl in what appears to be goldish colored glasses will freak out when her friend says something along the lines of 'He's behind you' and she turns around. Get to know her and ask her out before the end of junior high. You shouldn't regret it like I regret not saying anything. And believe me, when she gets contacts or her vision gets fixed, whichever happens, you would/will regret not asking her out.
Sometime in 7th or 8th, a girl will ask you out in gym class. Reject her. She's not worth the concept because nothing will happen anyway, and if you saw her now, things do get worse in her appearence and attitude.
If something goes wrong with the girl from lunch, then an older girl will ask you out towards the end of 8th. In fact, two girls will. One will be a great singer and the other is the older one. Whichever you choose, it shouldn't matter. Just remember: If you choose the singer, don't be afraid to sing with her. If you choose the older, and more attracted to you, just make her feel comfortable to never change how she looks, keep her from smoking, etc. She will also hug you in high school, since she is a close friend, but she will, at least until the end of your junior year in high school, be interested in you, as long as you don't break her heart, as a just-in-case something doesn't work with the other, as a stated before.
Religiously, you will change greatly, no longer remaining a Luthern, but turning into an Athiest as you make new friends, a move that I would never change. You eventually form, and as long as you allow the other people you form it with to leave, a clan on a game that eventually leaves that game after finding a few people to join you on it. If you run into a player named Scroby on it, when you go on vacation after finding a player named ThePikminMaster, fire Scroby. He won't be needed anymore. The reason is for you to find out. ClaireGirl is actually a guy, so don't even think about it, but he is a valuable member to the clan. And if you run into a player/chatter named Jordan, ban her from everything you can.
As for the clan, it leaves that game to start designing its own, which I think is to be the best design to this time that we've come up with, so hold strong to it and push for it to succeed. Assuming you have a girlfriend, do some jobs to get money, and when you get your permit, get the fifty hours of driving required for your license done that summer, that way you don't have to worry about it. Also get those community service hours done when in high school, preferably during one of the fall festivals working at the booster's club and prokchop dinner. Do both, they are rather enjoyable and the hours will fly by. Still, never forget to design the game, which is based in part on a few dreams you should have. In fact, your dreams will become more and more important as you age, sometimes giving you clues to the future or insight on the series of games you must design, all related to each other by the characters and places.
Pulled from Photobucket. It's a concept art that my friend made.
One last thing, about a week before senior year begins, that Sunday, there will be an issue... Call or tell Dan before then that that night, don't worry about sleep. Instead, get Mom to the UW before about, oh, 11 o'clock. It won't matter if you tell anyone this, since she'll be 'fine' either way, at least as fine as you can be from such a thing, but it could help save a little time and get her where she needs to be before it happens.
Whatever you do, it shouldn't matter, just don't do anything stupid. One of the only regrets I've ever had is that I never asked any girl that has shown signs of liking me out, which by out means anything from actually going out to just hanging out at their home or yours. Also, don't be a smartbutt, to put it lightest, about video games to any girl that goes to your house (as a friend or girlfriend). If she tries it, let her figure it out."
