Day 96! I was watching RuPaul’s Drag Race with my special someone the other day and Rupaul asked his queens a question that sparked an idea for me. He asked them “What advice would you give five year old you”? Now, I do not think I have even faced a fraction of the adversity that majority of those queens have faced in their lives but I have dealt with my fair share. I thought it would be a neat idea to write a letter to myself and share it with all of you. Let’s see how well this goes.

Dear Turbo,

Hey, there little Parker! I am writing this to you 18 years in the future with some advice I want you to take seriously. I know 18 years seems like an eternity away but trust me, it comes quick. Don’t worry, this letter will not be filled with scary things, I just want to prepare you for the bumpy road ahead.

By now, you probably realize you are not the same as every other kid. Don’t worry about that, keep being yourself! Making friends will always be an easy task for you to do. When you get to High School you will start to become reclusive but you will continue to keep your ability to make friends. One thing you need to do more of is talk to girls. It ends up working out for you in your 20s but it was not easy. Just do it, they are no different than dudes.

Let’s talk about the serious stuff. DO PHYSICAL THERAPY! I know it sucks major balls but it’s now too late for me and it’s the root of a lot of pain.

You are going to get your spine fused in 7 years. It’s going to hurt and you are going to blame quite a bit on it. I can assure you, it was well worth the struggle. Maybe think about getting it a year earlier because they ran into problems due to us waiting a little too long.

This next part is extremely important so listen closely. You are going to lose a ton of weight after your spinal fusion. You are going to deny it is a problem. It is a serious problem and you NEED to see a nutritionist about it. This problem is going to put you on death’s door if you keep ignoring it. Please do a better job than I did.

In early December of 2012, you are going to get a horrible flu. This flu will take us to the brink of death but you can prevent this from happening. Once you feel your chest getting congested, go directly to the hospital. This will be the first cold you won’t be able to fight off at home.

Mom and Dad divorce when you are 11 but it’s for the best. Mom needs you the most and you need to be strong for her. You two are going to have an insane journey through life. There is nothing I can say that will prepare you for that journey. Use your head and treasure every moment you have with her. It is going to get real scary, real quick around the age of 17.

I have one last piece of advice for you, get help for your anxiety at age 18. It sucks!

You do awesome in life so don’t stress too much. Just be yourself and conquer life’s challenges. Keep being a nerd and play a lot of World of Warcraft when it comes out because you meet some stellar dudes on there.

Live on,

Parker ‘Foshay’ Faucher

P. S. I know you hate the nickname Turbo but don’t worry, it doesn’t stick for long.

P. S. S. Treasure your time with a friend named JJ because he will not be around forever. When he leaves it is going to hit you hard.