Dear 28-year-old self,
I hope by now your life has changed dramatically, not that being 18 wasn’t great and all, but I just wish for you to be in a different place. I hope that you have found a fiery passion for something in this world and made a desirable career out of it. At 18, I have no idea what I really want to do, but I hope that at 28 I will have a good idea.
I hope that you have broke off from the routine practices and images of this world and created a life of your own. One that is unique to you and your experiences without hiding anything from the outside world. I hope that you have gained the confidence to take control of things around you that are not right. At 18 I have some ability, but I never fully feel powered to what I deserve.
At 28 I wish that you have seen more of the world than what your past has seen, I wish that you are able to travel to the places your heart has always desired. I wish you to be more worldly than your 18-year-old self. Let those experiences change who you are, be open to the influence of this diverse world.
At 28 I hope that you have figured out how to save money and support yourself, your 18-year-old self has somewhat of a spending problem, something I have feared for the future. Shoes mean a lot, but not that much over 401Ks, car payments, and rent.
I wish that in 10 years you live a life not of priorities but a general love and equal desire to please everything in your life, from your career, your family, and friends. At 28, I also wish that you have a better relationship with your mother, your 18-year-old self is still struggling with this.
I hope that at 28 you have found the one. And I also hope that you found him carefully, I hope that you have had the fun to date many other people to figure out what you really like and deserve. I hope that he came along in a way in which it was so clear that he is the only one. I hope that at 28 you know what you need and that he can provide every single one of those needs for you, without any ifs, ands, or buts. I hope that at 28 you stop making exceptions and excuses for love and instead be with someone who gives you everything without having to ask.
Above all else, I hope that your love for God is still afire. At 18 the Lord came into your life and saved you, I hope that your desire to live in his name never dies, and at 28 it is even more established and intertwined with everything you do.
Lastly, at 28 I hope you never feel too old, remember that your 18-year-old self will always live inside of you, never forget your youthful spirit.
