The Letter

A month ago I took a week of vacation from work. I did not travel; instead I worked on projects around my house. One project I finally had the time for was sorting through papers in my home office. I had thousands of papers and documents to go through. It was a daunting task. I found I had many previous drafts of my book printed out, as well as old bank statements, financial papers and more. Among all of these papers I found two journals. I was curious as to what I would find when I opened them. Were the pages blank? Were they full of writings?

I opened one of the journals. I thumbed through it and found all of its pages to be full-some pages had lists, some had thoughts which later morphed into poems. Other pages were filled with letters, drafts that

I wrote out first, to gather my thoughts, before writing the letter by hand. The second journal contained more of the same.

I did not take the time to read every page; however I did stop and pause to read some of the letters I had written. Most of the letters I read were to my friend Sally. Those letters were written four years ago, during the time that she was battling the illness that would later take her life.

In reading the letters I had written to my friend, I sat in a state of disbelief. It seems so long ago to me, and yet, it was not. Reading what I had written to my friend allowed me to see myself then, in the time and place in my life when I wrote them. So much has happened in my life since then; I am not the person

I used to be.

I also thought back to the time when I graduated from college. It was a time of transition, going from a college dormitory out into the real world. That seems like a lifetime ago. I barely recognize the person

I was then.

Reading what I had written in the journal inspired me to write another letter-this time to my younger self. Maybe I could impart some wisdom to her, guide her on the road ahead. The late Dr. Maya Angelou had a famous phrase: “When you know better, you do better.” The things I know now I wish I knew then.

I would have done things much differently.

If I were to do so, to write a letter to my younger self, what would I say to her? What knowledge and lessons would I share? What words of wisdom would I impart?

-Do not listen to any negativity from others.

-Be true to yourself.

-Do not worry what others think or say about you. What people think about you is their business and none of your concern.

-You are your best advocate and your harshest critic. Do not be too hard on yourself.

-For too long you have had issues with your body. You are not your body. You are your soul within a shell that is your body. God gave you your body. God does not make mistakes. You are a work of the divine. You are perfect, inside and out. Love the body you were given.

-Do not judge yourself too harshly.

-Be as kind, loving, and generous with yourself as you are with others.

-Do not judge yourself or what you feel.

-Learn from your mistakes.

-Forgive others as you would want to be forgiven.

-There will be some men who will come into your life very shortly. It will not work out with these men. They will hurt you terribly. You must be aware of this going in. Despite the fact that these relationships will end, and the way in which it will happen, you must let it happen. You must let them love you. The pain you will feel and go through at the time is the process of growth.

-All of the happiness you had with men in the past, all of the love and joy and bliss that you had with them, will not compare to the love you will find in your perfect one. God has a man picked out for you, the perfect partner; the Lord is waiting for you and he ready for one another before he introduces you. Do not lose faith.

-Do not spend too much time looking back. That is not the direction you are headed.

-You are the only you there will ever be. Never forget how awesome you are.

If you had the opportunity to write a letter to your younger self, to the person you used to be, what would you write?