To... myself:
I don't know how many years have passed, or when exactly you are reading this. Regardless, I felt the need to write this, then share this with the rest of the world. I hope someone can find meaning out of this, use it to their benefit. If I could help just one person, it would be worth it, wouldn't it?
Are you happily married? Have you found "the one" who makes your head spin, makes you so eager just to get out of bed? If so, are you even with this person, or has he/she drifted far, far from your reach? I hope that's not the case. I hope you find bliss with whom you are meant to love. Still, I know things can happen--that even when we swear something will never change, life gets in the way. In just the blink of an eye, what we know becomes past tense--what we knew, so well.
You better be writing. Everything that ever happens to you, you better scribble it onto something and make use of it. When inspiration hits (and even when it doesn't), you stop whatever you're doing and capture the moment. You use lots of description because that's what you're best at, and you try to avoid any awkwardness. Sometimes, when you got excited, you jumbled words together, leaving the reader a bit confused. I hope you've developed and moved past that.
Are you taking care of yourself? I mean physically and emotionally, as well as spiritually. Are you doing everything for others, ignoring your own needs, or are you doing just the opposite? Stuck in your head, forgetting anyone else exists? I hope you find that happy-medium. I hope you've remembered that life is not black and white but a beautiful mixture, a brilliant tint of gray. I hope you give and take, and when someone knows best, you take a minute to listen.
And lastly, most importantly, are you still fighting?
What I mean by this isn't what it seems, that I was aggressive and fueled by combat. I am talking figuratively; metaphorically. When someone talks down to you about your dream, do you let their words slip into you, stirring doubt? When you tell them that you plan on graduating with English Literature, do you let their opinions get the best of you? When you think of how many writers exist, chasing the same exact dream, does that empower or cripple you? Do you feel like you are growing little by little each day?
If you feel unhappy in your surroundings, please--for the sake of your own happiness--find where your heart leads you.
And please, for the love of everything, do not give up on your dream. You have come so far. And, yes, you've made mistakes; you've made so many of them. You have been rejected, criticized, and even bullied. You've said things you didn't mean, and you've done things out of jealousy and petty and insecurity. Despite all this, though, you deserve to have your dreams turn into reality.
Isn't that what you've wanted all along?
I will leave you there, but before you rush onto something else, take a moment to ponder my words. I know best--after all, I am you. I know everything you've ever experienced--every time you laughed so hard you cried, or every night you cried so hard you slept. I was there for all of it. If you are going through something right now, just know that everything, absolutely everything, is temporary. You will move past this; you will persevere.
Above all else, I hope the beautiful people you met and befriended are still there, laughing and crying along with you.
--Liz
