Dear Past Me,
It may be crazy, but you are 22 years old now. You no longer have the dream of being some pretty pink ballerina, even though that would be pretty cool. Who would have thought, that shy little girl who was always wearing those light brown Merrell shoes that her dad made her wear, would come full circle to being back in her childhood home writing this. You still have a shy side to you and can definitely still be pretty quiet, but at least you can pick out your own shoes. You always dreamed of growing up to this age one day, even though it may not be exactly how you dreamed it. Instead of being settled down starting your own family now, you are working on yourself and enjoying your twenties. You are figuring out what you want out of life and what matters most to you. That dream of your life with your own family is still there, but you have realized there is no rush. One day you will get that big house out in the country that you dreamed of, but for now living in your old bedroom is just what you need. I know that you would be extremely proud of what you have accomplished and made it through over the years, but this is only the beginning. Just wait until you see what the next chapter brings. For now though, just be proud of how far you have come and know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be right now.
With lots of love,
Chloe
Dear Present Me,
You are writing this part of your article a little late. You have been so caught up in all the final projects and papers due within the next two weeks before you finally can graduate from Illinois State University. 2021 is not going anything like you thought it would and a lot has been thrown at you, but here you are still making it through it. However, you’ve learned that trying to make these extravagant plans for your future is just not working out for you. Right now it is all about taking things day by day. Working on yourself, finishing these last few projects for school, cherishing the moments you have with the people you’ve met through these years. You have so much ahead of you, so try to bring the most joy and life into the time you have now, because you won’t get these times back. Stay in the present for now and enjoy it. Luckily you have plans for the summer with an internship that will hopefully help you fulfill your goals and dreams, so no need to worry about all that right now. It is okay that your goals and dreams are all over the place, because one day everything will work out the way it is supposed to be. So keep up the hard work working towards those goals and dreams, while living in the moment.
With lots of love,
Chloe
Dear Future Me,
I am so excited to meet you and see you one day. No offense to you, but I do not think you will be exactly who I think you will be. I am sure you will go through more rockiness in your life, but I also know that you will have some extreme highs. There will be things happening for you that I have never even dreamed of happening, but I cannot wait to see what is out there for you. People always ask me who my hero is and usually I can come up with people, but it is always different parts of them who I look up to. There isn’t just one person in this life that I consider to be someone who guides me. It is made up of so many people. However I realized that the person I look up to, will always be you. The future version of myself. I am not sure who you are yet, but I know when I meet you, I will be so proud of who you are, what you’ve become and what you have yet to accomplish. You will always be the person I want to be as I grow older. I cannot wait to see who you are and will try to be patient until I do meet you.
With lots of love,
Chloe