Dear Future Me,
Hello beautiful! Now, don’t give me that look and shake your head in disbelief, because you very well know, that you’ve always been and will always continue to be beautiful to me!
Well, well, well… look at you! I see that you are still standing, and absolutely thriving, in your golden years and, still making life question its own impermanence and unpredictability, as you always did.
I bet you’re reading this with a smirk, or should I say, a glass of Pinot Noir, instead of your boring (sorry!) black tea, and I’m thrilled and happy to see that you’ve banished the dreaded migraine out of your life for good!! Enjoying life in your golden years and living it up with panache, has actually happened… or rather you made it possible!
No, don’t you give me that eye roll at my dramatic flair! Life has turned out to be mostly what you’ve wanted it to be. I know there are so many things that might have been different but we won’t delve into those today.
Instead, let’s take a moment to acknowledge just how far you’ve come or rather we’ve come. I mean…life has thrown more than a fair share of curveballs and probably a few unexpected plot twists your way, that might well be straight out of a soap opera, and yet—here you are, fully, wholly, imperfectly complete, having lived through all of it, as only you could have done.
Can you see how that sense of imperfection has shaped you—not carrying the fear of being judged or worried about not living up to everyone’s ideals and expectations any more and instead, throwing all caution to the wind, setting sail on the vast ocean, ready to explore life in all its unpredictability?
How thrilling and how liberating that must feel!
Remember those times when we stumbled over something and questioned life? We cried over the most minutest of things that, now in hindsight, have turned out to be the stepping stones to our authentic self? Little did we know then, that every little quirk, every so-called flaw, however insignificant, every ridiculous moment of self-doubt—would turn out to be a part of a grand design, masterminded by the Universe. Perhaps in that not knowing, we learnt to be in the moment. To be mindful and never wait for what tomorrow might bring.
Do you recall those countless occasions in our growing up years, when we embarrassed ourselves in front of the others…friends, parents…other elders…strangers? Or as a young adult navigating life alone, in a big city, those times when we thought we had it all figured out, only to realize that we had no clue how badly we would fall and how, eventually, we would learn to pick ourselves up, nurse our bruised ego and learn to start all over again. And the countless times we questioned our actions as a mom… plagued by self doubt, second guessing the decisions and always feeling less… see how irrelevant all that was?
I hope, today, you’re confidently dancing to the beat of your own music, irrespective of whether someone is watching or not and despite the odds that come with growing older, still spending time travelling, writing and sitting still in the heart of nature, watching the fading colours of the sunset sky at twilight.
I hope your humour reminds you to keep laughing so hard that your stomach hurts, and that you always continue to find magic in the ordinary.
And every time, when you look into the mirror, I hope you see not just the years, but the stories that are etched into your smile.
And every time you look back, I hope you realise just how much of yourself you put into every role that you ever played— every battle fought, all the love given, all the lessons learned and all the joy that was embraced—I hope you know that it was all possible because of being the person that you are.
And now, as I take leave, I’d like to leave you with the one thing that always bothered you—not leaving behind a legacy through your work! I wish to tell you that YOU were everything that mattered. You did not merely exist…you prevailed—because, my dear future self—YOU are everything that you were meant to be—a glorious, messy, warm, loving, flawed but a beautiful work-in-progress who never stopped growing.
Your work does not have to be your legacy. You are. And that alone is enough. I hope you always remember this for as long as you live.
Signing off now.
With love, hugs and happy vibes (and a wink!),
Your Past Self
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Linking this post to Blog-A-Rhythm’s prompt – ‘Letter to My Older/Future Self’!
