Dear Future Me,
If we haven’t all died in a horrible apocalypse yet, I expect you to somehow stumble upon this 10 or so years from now. This means that you’re probably 28, so your life could be going in a variety of different directions. There are so many different things you could be right now in my head. You could be an efficient business woman who answers to no one and creates things that better society. You could be engaged or married right now and expecting your first kid. You can be completely lost in where you want your life to go and are struggling to figure out the next step, and all of these options are going to be okay with me. I could keep guessing where you are at right now or just list all of the things I’ve hoped you’ve accomplished, but I think that’s a pretty tall order to place on someone.
I know that listing out things I want now for the future isn’t going to help either of us. Plans change and take time to accomplish, so I’m not going to make the future version of me doubt myself just because I don’t have a corgi army. That isn’t what this letter is about; I just want to remind myself of a few things.
Remember to be a kind person. I know this seems like an obvious thing to remember, but I don’t want the political climate I’m living in right now change me. There is enough hate in this world, and you shouldn’t be a factor in that. I want you to do at least one kind thing a day, whether it’s holding the door open for someone, complimenting someone, or just asking someone how their day went; just do anything that will make the world a brighter place. As they say, be the change you want to see in the world. It may seem like a small impact you’re making, but a small stone can make big ripples.
Do things that make you happy. Yes I know you might need that job to pay next month’s rent, but try your best to find a better one. Keep making art, doodle on every piece of paper you get handed, use an hour that would go to sleep to just draw something that could be utter crap but at least you made something. Go outside, run a trail, experience the nature around you because I know you could go weeks without seeing sunlight. Go to museums, read as many books as you can, always keep learning. Life is just going to pass you by if you’re unhappy, so change something to fix it.
Take care of yourself for christ's sake. Eat at normal times, drink a bunch of water, and try to work out as best you can. Hopefully you’ve figured this out by the time you’re 28, but I have to say it just in case.
Keep in touch with people. Call your brother. He might be living nowhere near you, be incredibly busy with his job, and have a family of his own by this time, but just call him. He was the one constant you could always count on when you were kids and he never gave up on you, so please just ask him how his day went. Call your parents. You might be wrapped up in how your own life is going, but please just stop for a moment and catch them up on what you are doing. They care so much about you, and you know that they just want to stay in the loop, so just let them. Call your best friend. You know exactly who I am talking about. You could have fallen out of contact or you could be on your way to meet her for lunch right now; just make sure she knows how much she means to you. I couldn’t imagine 18 years of friendship without her right now, and I certainly can’t imagine 10 without her, so make sure you keep her in your life. Speaking of friends, try to call your friends from high school, I know a few might have just grown apart, but a few should stick, so make sure you keep that connection with those wonderful people.
As I said before, you could have your life figured out by now or you could be just as lost as I am now. Just know that even when it feels like you have no one in your corner, you’ll always have me from the past cheering you on. Whatever you’re doing or wherever you are, just know that I am so proud of you for whatever you pursue and I hope it works out for us.
Love Always,
Ashlyn 2017
