Dear Future Self,
I hope by the time you read this, you’ve found a place for yourself, a place where you feel like you belong. I hope you’ve fallen in love and gotten married and I hope you’ve found the perfect place to raise a family.
If you haven’t, that’s fine. It’s not the end of the world and you have to remember that everything happens for a reason. Your time is coming.
No matter where you are, who you’re with, and what you’re doing, I hope you’re happy. I hope you’ve come to honor and love yourself with the same intensity that you honor and love those around you. I hope you realize that the current version of yourself loves you and that that won’t ever change.
Enjoy what you’re doing with your life. I hope you’re still singing and performing and I hope you give yourself the chance to be thankful for how far you’ve come. I hope you spare a thought for everyone that’s helped you get this far.
I hope you’re just as, if not more so, upbeat and energetic as you were in your childhood and your teenage years. I hope you find yourself still doing everything you can to make the people around you laugh until their ribs hurt.
I hope you still laugh at yourself for your own silliness and I hope you still allow yourself to talk in your ridiculous dog-voice. I hope you still say ridiculous phrases that come to be known as "your phrase." I hope you still feel like you're living your best life.
I hope that your drive hasn’t changed, and I hope you’re proud of all that you’ve accomplished. I hope you aren’t too hard on yourself when you fall just below the line of being perfect and I hope that you don’t let yourself get frustrated with things that are beyond your control.
Stop whatever you’re doing right now and call your parents if you’re fortunate enough to still have them with you. Tell them about your day, and ask them about theirs. Call your siblings and ask how they are. Tell them you love them.
Give yourself a personal day. It doesn’t matter what you’ve got lined up for the day, just give yourself some ‘me time.’ Throw on a nice outfit, your favorite pair of heels, your favorite shade of lipstick, and go get your nails done. You deserve it.
When you’re finished, go home, wherever that is, and sit on the couch. Put on your favorite feel-good movie and stuff your face with your favorite flavor of ice cream without worrying about gaining weight or breaking out.
Stop stressing. Stop being a perfectionist. You will have enough time to do everything you want to, so just focus on and live in the moment. Hug the people around you. Ask them how they are and truly listen to them, without thinking about how you’re going to answer.
Live in the moment, and look towards the future, but don’t forget about the past. Without it, you wouldn’t be who you are now.
