Today's Columbus Dispatch solicited readers to send in a letter of 200 words or less expressing what you wish you could tell your teenage self. (It's inspired by Brad Paisley's hit song Letter to Me.) This request spoke to me, so I sent in this letter:

Dear teenage self:

Here are three points that I think will make your life easier, richer, and a lot more fun:

1. Control is an illusion. Sure, it’s good to make plans for your life – but remember, “Life is what happens while you’re making other plans.”

2. It’s good to pay some attention to how you are going to pay the bills, but beyond that don’t get too caught up in it. Chances are if you pursue something you feel passionate about, money will follow. Even if it doesn’t, it’s better to be broke and fulfilled than broke and unfulfilled. (There’s no guarantee the “sensible” career path will work out, either, especially if your heart isn’t in it.)

3. Life is a lot less about rules than you think. There are many different paths to happiness and fulfillment in life, and no one path is right for everybody. Allow yourself the freedom to pursue paths other than the one you know, and be really accepting of other people’s life choices. Some of the best people you will ever meet march to a very different drummer.

Susan at age 51