Hey.

Hey, you.

Yep, you.

Hi.

People actually think you’re beautiful, and not just because they “like you on the inside.” I mean, I’m sure they like you on the inside. You have a VERY compelling spleen.

No, they think so because you are beautiful. It’s true! In a room of two or a room of 10,000. And despite what One Direction might claim in their skinny pants, you’re not more beautiful because you’re not aware of your beauty.

In fact, that little tidbit of knowledge is like the entire set of answers to the SATs: knowing it fully and completely, at least once, is a very good thing. Then you can get on with the rest of your life.

Your beautiful life.

(Enjoy having THAT song stuck in your head.)

Hey, you.

Ice cream for dinner (or lunch or breakfast or a snack or frozen into tiny capsules and taken as vitamins) is GREAT.

Hey, you.

Contrary to how it might feel, not everyone has an amazing job or a fantastic partner or a cute kid or a cool car or an amazing group of friends. Some people might have all these things, sure. Some people might have a few of them. Some people might have one or none.

But whatever they have or don’t have, it doesn’t mean that a) it’s exactly what it looks like; b) that they lack pain or challenge outside of that good thing; c) that you’d actually love it if you had it (or that they do); d) that it’s the best thing for you because it works for them; or e) that you might not have it yourself tomorrow.

Comparing what you’ve accomplished to a magical timeline in your head or what other people possess is a recipe for forgetting what you HAVE accomplished, and for even yuckier pastures like, say, envy.

And nobody needs envy on their list of accomplishments. In part because it’s too easy, and therefore not list-worthy, and in part because you’d probably have to list the other deadly sins, then, too, and I’d rather that “sloth” remained a cute little creature with a fun nose.

Hey, you.

That commercial makes me cry, too.

Hey, you.

Being lonely sucks, huh?

And what sucks more is that you can feel that way by yourself, or in a crowd. It’s okay to start new hobbies or try new things whenever you feel like you need them, though, without following through or worrying that it needs to be more than a right now thing. It’s okay to make six nights’ worth of plans with six different friends and stay out too late laughing and eating hot wings. It’s even okay to watch your crying movie and cry now and then.

But if it threatens to step on your heart with some conviction, that loneliness, it’s okay to ask for help. Anyone who says otherwise, we will lock in a room by themselves.

Hey, you.

Those pants look FANTASTIC on you and the fact that no one has mentioned it just means they would get overly effusive in their description and HR would have to step in.

Hey, you.

It’s okay to find any or all of the following annoying now and then: your family; your friends; your boss; your dog; the barista at Starbucks; the guy who keeps elbowing your head on the train because he’s trying to hang on and read at the same time; the musician everyone else likes but who sounds like a dying goat to you; your friend’s new boyfriend who has all the charm of that same dying goat; your mate/spouse/partner.

You know why? Because they ARE annoying. Sometimes. Often?

It doesn’t mean that everyone sucks permanently or that you suck or that things will always suck with that person. It just means you’re a little annoyed right now. So don’t feel guilty and don’t fake it… but don’t torture them for it, either. Feel your feelings, have a cookie, and go do something else. Or kick them first, and then go do something else.

Hey, you.

I don’t know what the hell band everyone is talking about, either. Come listen to Justin Timberlake with me and we’ll continue thinking that “indie” has something to do with Harrison Ford and a whip.

Hey, you.

You’re doing a good job. Of all of it. Promise.