Dear Future Me,

I hope you've learned to love yourself for who you are, and have stopped caring so much about what others think about you. I hope you have learned what life has to offer and have not stayed in the tiny bubble of being an introvert. I hope you've stayed close with all of your friends and haven't given up when things get hard. I hope you have a good job that makes you happy, that doesn't make you want to yank your hair out at the end of the day. I hope you have gotten back into your faith and gone back to church. I hope you still love your family more than anyone or anything in the entire world.

I hope you still have dreams for the future. I hope you have conquered that evil virus, called anxiety. I hope you've met new people and learned to love them like sisters or brothers. I hope you choose the major that makes you the most confident and that you graduate from UMW with flying colors. I hope you have gotten over your stupid fear of driving on the highway. I hope you have forgiven those who deserve to be forgiven and forgotten those who have done way too much damage that can't be fixed. I hope you reconnect with those friends we've lost through the years. I hope you've met a guy that makes you smile the biggest, and brightest smiles of your life.

I hope you have learned that you don't need to apologize after every single sentence or conversation. I hope you've mastered the fact that is a very good thing to tell your family you love them, no matter if you're going to work, saying good night or ending a phone conversation. I hope you've moved on from all of the things that have happened in your life, such as losing your mom, grammie and granddad. I hope you have learned to live in the present instead of constantly living in the past. I hope you have really learned to appreciate what you have and what you've been given throughout your life.

I hope you have learned how to apply makeup correctly and how to put your hair in a bun without it looking like a rat's nest. I hope you've learned how to smile every day even though you really don't want to. I hope you've learned how to cook for yourself, not including eggs, pasta, frozen pizzas, etc. I also hope you have finally figured out that you should not procrastinate on every single assignment. That just isn't fair to yourself! Just get it done!

Don't forget to call family and friends. Don't forget to say a prayer before bed. Lastly, don't forget to be happy with what has happened to you in life and be able to fight whatever gets in the way.

Love,

Me