Dear Future Self,
Call me old-fashioned, but because in this day and age we have not yet perfected an apparatus in which self-talk throughout the years is possible, I am left with no choice but to write you this quick note.
Self, if there is anything you should do right now, stop and be grateful!
You only have to take a look around you. All this is because of everything I have done in the past and am doing now FOR YOU! Millions would walk thousands of miles to be in your shoes, hungry for the things you enjoy and take for granted.
I want you to know that you mean everything to me, and I am so happy and grateful that I am staying the course, busting a gut, following this path, whatever you want to call it. Also, I continue to grow as a person and change for the better.
I love you with all my heart, self, even if you are just a grey-haired, wrinkly version of me!
Lest we forget, I am not the only one who has helped you become the person you are today. Thank the others who have shared the joys and problems with you. Where would you be without Dad? Yes, you remember him. He backed you to the hilt when no-one else would. He was not perfect, but he always made sure you were OK in every way.
Mum brought you into this world and has been there from year one.
She did everything for you in the most selfless ways. She sacrificed herself for you in ways you and I will never know. These two people made me who I am now, so I am building on the foundation that they set to make you. I hope they can be proud of us, and I am sure that you feel the same way.
And what about our spouse? Look at our colossal spouse right now. I made some terrible mistakes with this incredibly important person, and still, we did not get divorced. Yes, our spouse is not a saint either, and I, too, had to forgive things that were not acceptable. What happened between our spouse and us no longer matters, neither in my time nor yours.
Some will think we sailed through this life of ours. Naturally, you and I know different, and that is what counts.
Self, the roller coaster has taken us in many different directions, making us dizzy with various emotions attached.
It did not come easy at all; those forehead wrinkles are a testament to that. However, because you are reading this now, you know that we made it happen. And by that, I mean this life of ours. I want you to be proud of my accomplishments and hope that you have learned from my mistakes. Just be smart about things, and be firm in your decisions. Remember to have conviction with your words and actions and apologize for any errors you cause. Most importantly, know in our hearts, that I will always believe in you.
Also, I want you to enjoy these days, months, and years that you have in front of you, just as I planned. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it quite poignantly,
“Most of the shadows in this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine.”
Be thankful for nature, for history, for your team winning for a change, for the sunshine on your face, for another day at the office, for the people in the past who did not make it this far for whatever reason, for the freedoms you enjoy, for great food and drink, for those crazy but sincere friends, for family, for all the experiences and lessons you encountered.
Be grateful for life and all the blessings it brings to you!
With love always to my future self,
Someone You Used To Be