Dear Little Me,

There has always been so much going on in that little mind of yours. It never seems to be quiet. I know you spend your time daydreaming, telling stories in your head. It brings you comfort to dream about your life. I also know you spend entirely too much time worrying.

All the time that you spend in fear of what could happen, is useless. To tell you the truth, all your deepest fears will come true. Scary things are going to happen to you, and you will still see the sun the next morning. You will still feel gentle and kind toward the world. You will learn both how brutal and beautiful life can be.

Terrible things will happen that you haven’t even considered. There will be heartbreak, grief, and failure in your future, I promise you. But this is not anything to fear or dread. Life is going to knock you to your knees time and time again, and what you have not considered, is that you will get back up time and time again.

You have not considered that maybe you are capable of handling whatever life has to bring you. You will realize your strength and your inner wisdom, and you will hold those virtues near and dear. You will persevere through every hardship, and you will learn gratitude for life and shed what is not meant for you.

Worrying right now will not prevent what is to come nor will it solve the future’s problems. That is much easier said than done, I know. If hearing that statement was enough for you to stop worrying about anything and everything, you would have stopped by now.

Right now, you are so worried about your grades, your parents, your social life, if you are likable, your appearance, not being good enough, not doing good enough, and if you will ever discover your life’s purpose. Such harsh pressures to put on yourself as a young girl.

It will take time for you to realize that the only person there is to impress, compete with, and value the opinion of is yourself. Right now, you do not know the value of letting go. You dig your claws into everything and everyone you love, and you are terrified of losing or being left. In time, you will get rid of this desperation. You will see how freeing it can be to let go of the need to control everything that happens in your life.

I know that you have always been a worrier. A mental planner for when that other shoe drops. But what if I gave you permission to let go of your worries and your need to control everything around you? Does it seem impossible to do? Is it justifiable enough coming from me?

Well firstly, turn on your stereo and dance in your bedroom. Bounce on your bed and put on your jewelry. Indulge in what your strange and beautiful little self wants most. Honor her everyday for me. Swing on swing sets at the playground, hug your mom, ride your bike until the sun goes down, write stories, eat grandma’s chocolate chip cookies, swim in the lake until your fingers turn to prunes, talk to the trees, play your music loud and embrace the not knowing what is to come next.

You will get to this place soon enough. You will find your harmony with the world amidst all the terrible things that are going to happen. They will come, and they will go, and you will still see the sun and hear the birds sing in the morning.

I can’t wait for you to see.

Your Future Self