Dear Yesterday Me,

I once saw this quote, on Tumblr maybe, or some really corny form of social media that way too many adolescent girls are on. I can’t remember exactly what it said but it was to the effect of this: yeah life might suck right now, but tomorrow the sun’s going to come up, you’re going to roll out of bed, eat your cereal, drink some tea, and life will go on.

I want you to remember that idea. Yeah maybe it’s not some nicely pieced together quote, but it’s sentiment, that’s something.

Yesterday sucked. So what? It started raining, you didn’t have a rain jacket, your relationship wasn’t going the way you planned, you tanked a philosophy exam.

So what?

In the grand scheme of things, if you put the ratio of bad to good things that happen in a day, I’m gonna take a guess and said a few more good things happened yesterday.

Maybe your Mom called you for the first time in a couple of weeks, or you finished the assignment that had been weighing on your shoulders.

Maybe someone who opened the door for you smiled, and you said thank you, and that simple interaction completely made your day. Maybe you saw a really cool view, fall foliage, a lake, felt wind turn warm suddenly as you were trudging up the stairs back to your dorm.

I say these things because life is really great. Life's really great because of all the simple things we tend to forget about. The sunrises, oceans, tiny chipmunks in nature.

Long car rides with loud music and coffee with a little too much sugar. Rescuing puppies, winning stuffed animals at a fair, taking a nap, they're all the things in life we take for granted.

But they make us really, really happy for the time being. Even though yesterday it may not have felt like it, that doesn’t mean today can’t be better.

When you feel stuck, lonely, sad, gray, and like life can just go on without you remember those small things. Remember tonight the moon will still rise, bringing the opportunity for an even better next day. Who knows, maybe tomorrow could be the best day of your life? And if you don’t get out there, you’ll never know.

So here’s a letter to yesterday you, because yesterday you is no worse off, no better off, no less hopeful than today you should be.

Because after all, the sun will rise, and we will try again.

Sincerely,

Today (and maybe a little wiser) You