Throwback Thursday: A Letter to My Future Self

I wrote this on December 3, 2010 for a blog that I kept pretty consistently from 2010-2012. I was following a prompt from a blogger I liked that said “Write a letter of love to yourself to read in one year.

To my lovely friend Rachael,

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing right now, I want you to take a moment, look around and appreciate all the wonderful things you have in your life. Then think about what you did to bring about those wonderful things. You’re a pretty cool chica.

You are beautiful. Yes. Beautiful. You have such a sense of style and class. Your smile could light up a room. I know you’re feeling upset because you’re not the size you used to be and like a bit of a failure because you think you should be so much thinner than you are, but stop right there. Do you really want to let yourself worry about that? You may not look like a model, but you are spunky and unique and something truly special. And your sense of style! You dress adventurously- the vintage jewelry and the necklaces and brightly colored nails. You never blend in with the crowd- and that’s a good thing.

I know you’re feeling anxious and sad about not having everything figured out- I know you get the blues sometimes. But don’t beat yourself up over it. You’re doing fine and remember- you are so much stronger than you feel in your darkest moments. You know this. You’ve been through bad stuff before and you’ve always gotten through it.

I hope you’re still pursuing all your dreams- you have such great big ones and I can’t wait to see them all come true. And don’t fuss too much over the things you’ve left behind- don’t let yourself guilty over not playing harp really anymore- don’t let yourself get down because you can’t do everything. No one can- remember? You’re doing all you can day to day- and that’s all anyone can ask for. You are amazing.

I want to remind you of how when you were a teenager, you posted Christmas lights up all around the top of your room. Sometimes you’d turn on the lights before you went to sleep. With your glasses off, everything looked fuzzy and beautiful and magical. I hope you always keep that view of the world- if you just step back and look at it again, it’s such a lovely place to be. Never lose your sense of wonder.

Continue believing the best of people- no matter how many times they disappoint you. This is a beautiful trait- don’t let anyone put you down for it. There’s nothing wrong with being an optimist.

You have a giving heart. Keep giving back in whatever way you can- whether it’s driving folks to the doctor, collecting pink yogurt lids or buying a skateboard for a little boy. You know that however little you may have, you are truly rich when you help others.

Have I ever told you how funny you are? And witty. And smart. You find the humor in anything and the joy in the everyday. You’re like a little kid, but really, that’s a good thing. Never never change.

You can do anything if you set your mind to it- with you, not even the sky is the limit. Maybe the Milky Way- but who knows? Still haven’t written that novel? It’ll happen – I know it. Traveling still on the agenda? You’ll make it happen. I know you can scale mountains and conquer the world- you are smart enough to make it happen.

Never ever forget that you are someone special and that a lot of people, including myself, love you and think you are awesome.

<3-Rachael