Dear mini me,
It’s me, your 22-year-old self! You know, the farther I get into adulthood and the struggles that come with it, the more I think about you. Remember when you used to say, “I can’t wait to be an adult”? Honey, trust me, you can wait. Savour the time you have as a kid!
Things have changed since I left childhood. Remember when we wanted to be a pretty princess when we grew up? Don’t get mad at me, but that’s not what we’re doing anymore! Instead, we’re going to try our hardest to become a successful writer. Now I know what you’re thinking: “Oh come on, I hate reading! Why would I write books?” We changed our minds, okay? It turns out reading isn’t so bad! Crazy, huh? Think of it like TV in your head, and we still like TV!
Speaking of which, I bet you’re still wearing your frilly Snow White costume and dancing in front of the television, trying to copy all of our favourite Disney princesses. Aurora was your favourite, right? Yeah, I still have a soft spot for her myself. We must’ve sung “Once Upon a Dream” so many times. And boy, you tried really hard to dance exactly like Genevieve in Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses. Our big brother used to get really annoyed with us and our crazy dancing! I hate to say it, but we’re still mediocre dancers. We do still have fun with it though! So don’t stop, no matter what our brother says!
Those Star Wars movies that we love so much have new movies now too! They’re… eh. But there’s also a bunch of new Star Wars TV series! I don’t watch a lot of them, but I did enjoy Rebels and The Mandalorian.
Oh, and all those trips we make to Lebanon every summer? You can still look forward to those in the future! We’re always welcome by our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We even have new additions to the family! You’re going to love them!
And hey, I know things feel pretty difficult and lonely right now. I remember those days too well. I didn’t think it would end. But believe me, it’s only temporary. Soon, even sooner than you think, you’re going to make amazing friends whom you’ll adore. They won’t ever make you feel alone. I promise you, your loneliness is not permanent. Just hang in there a little longer, okay?
Throughout your life, you will make mistakes, and you will face failures, but that’s okay! You’ll learn from them and become better. Just don’t dwell too much on the mistakes you make. Don’t beat yourself up over them so much.
You must be thinking that so much has changed between then and now. I’ll admit, a lot has changed. But there are some things that I still do now, just like you used to! And I don’t only mean the Lebanon trips. For example, I still watch cartoons. Harry Potter is still (and let’s face it, forever will be) in our lives. I still watch Disney and Pixar movies. Heck, I even still sing Disney songs! We’re still weird nerds and we are very happy about it. And remember those inside jokes we had with our cousins? We still laugh about them today!
Growing up is inevitable, unfortunately. We aren’t Peter Pan. But that doesn’t have to be such a bad thing! Sure, I miss you a ton and sometimes wish I was still there with you. But I’ve learned a trick that I’m going to share with you: when you grow up and start missing your childhood, don’t let your sadness linger too long. Instead, honour your childhood! Because no matter how old I get – whether I’m 20, 30, or 100 – I’m always going to be a child at heart.
With my heart and soul,
Your future self