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andranaleese submitted a contest entry to
Write a letter to your younger self – Spring/Summer 2022 1 years, 7 months agoA letter to you
Life didn’t work out the way you thought.
Don’t get me wrong, your life is amazing now, and better than you could have imagined, but it is nowhere near the plan you had envisioned. To be fair, your ten-year plan was flawless; Everything so perfectly articulated and not a measure out of place. It truly was a sight to behold. A girl with her head on so straight that the odds couldn’t beat her. She’s a shoe-in for everything she could want out of life. Then, came the kicker.
You didn’t get into your top school. You chose a major you didn’t even think of before. You moved farther away from home than you could have anticipated. And that’s okay.
You had such high goals and ambitions for yourself. You set your sights so high that along the way, it seems you lost yourself amongst the clouds. You roamed around the libraries in your head for too long, I’m afraid. You, my dear, filled your mind with every fact, tidbit, and file of information that nothing else had room to grow in such a vast, but crowded garden. You replaced your insecurities with flashcards, your worries with study guides, and your doubts with extracurriculars after school because being a robot could get you into a good school, but being real and being human could not. You misconstrued friendships for tutoring sessions and took your leadership as a means for control, not guidance. You traded the chance to be a kid for the hopes of being a successful adult.
And then this little thing called a pandemic happened. It was almost as if the world…stopped. Nothing in time mattered more than being present because being present meant that you were with the people you loved. You garnered the ability to love and be loved. You were in the present and realized that time is a present, a gift meant to be opened once and used wisely.
Something changed for you. You learned to let in your emotions and experience life. Many doors closed, but so many gates opened. What you never thought could be attained came flooding to you in an instant.
So, from me to you, I want to say that we’re doing just fine. You prepared me for the ‘what-if’s’ and infinite and endless possibilities that could have arisen. So now, I can prepare for our future. The future where we pursue our goals, but we also make friends along the way. The future where we love and let go. The future where you grow, and I grow with you. I, in your place, will prepare us for the portion of life where we live, and live boundlessly and blissfully. The portion of life where you, my dear, live, and live a thousand lives after because to be alive and live your life is the best present of them all. I’ll do my best to make you the happiest you’ve been and the proudest you’ll be because whether you believed it or not, you deserved to live too.
With Love,
Voting is closed
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Naleese Blanca shared a letter in the
A letter to my younger self group 1 years, 7 months agoA letter to you
A.NLife didn’t work out the way you thought.
Don’t get me wrong, your life is amazing now, and better than you could have imagined, but it is nowhere near the plan you had envisioned. To be fair, your ten-year plan was flawless; Everything so perfectly articulated and not a measure out of place. It truly was a sight to behold. A girl with her head on so straight that the odds couldn’t beat her. She’s a shoe-in for everything she could want out of life. Then, came the kicker.
You didn’t get into your top school. You chose a major you didn’t even think of before. You moved farther away from home than you could have anticipated. And that’s okay.
You had such high goals and ambitions for yourself. You set your sights so high that along the way, it seems you lost yourself amongst the clouds. You roamed around the libraries in your head for too long, I’m afraid. You, my dear, filled your mind with every fact, tidbit, and file of information that nothing else had room to grow in such a vast, but crowded garden. You replaced your insecurities with flashcards, your worries with study guides, and your doubts with extracurriculars after school because being a robot could get you into a good school, but being real and being human could not. You misconstrued friendships for tutoring sessions and took your leadership as a means for control, not guidance. You traded the chance to be a kid for the hopes of being a successful adult.
And then this little thing called a pandemic happened. It was almost as if the world…stopped. Nothing in time mattered more than being present because being present meant that you were with the people you loved. You garnered the ability to love and be loved. You were in the present and realized that time is a present, a gift meant to be opened once and used wisely.
Something changed for you. You learned to let in your emotions and experience life. Many doors closed, but so many gates opened. What you never thought could be attained came flooding to you in an instant.
So, from me to you, I want to say that we’re doing just fine. You prepared me for the ‘what-if’s’ and infinite and endless possibilities that could have arisen. So now, I can prepare for our future. The future where we pursue our goals, but we also make friends along the way. The future where we love and let go. The future where you grow, and I grow with you. I, in your place, will prepare us for the portion of life where we live, and live boundlessly and blissfully. The portion of life where you, my dear, live, and live a thousand lives after because to be alive and live your life is the best present of them all. I’ll do my best to make you the happiest you’ve been and the proudest you’ll be because whether you believed it or not, you deserved to live too.
With Love,
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This is so well-written and so well said. I am someone who also gets caught up in plans and goals and sometimes forgets to enjoy the moment. I am glad the pandemic gave you a perspective that allowed you to enjoy life and the people you love. Someone once told me 2020 led her to 2020 vision. Sounds like something similar happened to you. Thank…read more
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Life never goes the way we want it to go. It’s like a roller coaster where every time we go up in the world we tend to fall. Sometimes the Destiny we seek the destinies of our own accord but God tends to have something else planned for us. Just like you I’ve attended college for something I wanted at the beginning but found a different cal…read more
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Salutations,
Your letter has a powerful message and lesson written in it. I find it disappointing when plans don’t come to fruition but, I find myself enjoying living in the moment and it makes me realize that my plans probably wouldn’t have been half as fun as living presently. We forget that, especially overachievers and planners. I suppose,…read more -
WOW, I love how well-written your letter is. Thank you so much for shedding light on a lesson I’m currently learning. Remaining in the present while planning on what changes will lead to my success is something I am practicing. I’m learning that without balance I take on a lot at once without giving myself the grace to take care of myself. It’s…read more
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I resonate with this. I have 3 children and often times I’m so focused on keeping the at bay that I can’t seem to savor the moment. Thank you for sharing.
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