A Letter to My Younger Self
"The invention of the teenager was a
mistake. Once you identify a period of life in which people get to stay out
late but don’t have to pay taxes — naturally, no one wants to live any other
way."
— Judith Martin
Dear Younger Me,
I know what you are
doing right now - baffled at the sight of this letter, you are scrolling down
first to see who has signed it. Well surprise, it is me, I mean you! But an
older you! Much is going to change in the ensuing years, so saddle up! Here's
older you with heads up on a few things!!
So, here I am
congratulating you for even making it this far!!! Remember how future appeared
to you as a dark empty space whenever asked where you saw yourself in the years
to come. Everyone else had an answer; you were the only one trying to sneak out
of the classroom. Your forehead would curl up with the concern to decipher an
outline into a milky haze of the future, meanwhile your classmates gave
confident answers and you would break into a silent state of panic. You were
hardly ever edgy but you did think you were out of place due to the 'lack of
plan'. But all I can say now is don't be addled. No plans needed; you will do
pretty OK without one.
You are young, and
life has yet to take its toll on you. It would not take long enough for it to
throw despairs, heartbreaks, loneliness and struggles on your face, but the
best part of your age is that you haven't yet been worn down by long hours of
thankless work, by the slings and arrows of everyday grind. For this, you
should be grateful about the present. You are at a worry-free phase of your
life. You have wonderful times coming ahead, but they are not without their
costs and perils. As you grow older, you'll realize you are better than many,
so take a minute to be thankful !!!
Well, futures cannot
be predicted! If we could even have the slightest inkling of what is coming up
ahead, we would avoid certain situations and persons but as that would allow us
smooth sailing it would also prevent us from growing up in the real sense and
would eventually kill the purpose of the whole process. So, it is great to
experience life through all its thick and thin and learn lessons as they come
by.
Friendships and
relationships fluctuate. Sometimes those you expect would stay around forever,
might leave and the ones you think would leave might linger on for good and
stand by you. So don't be so quick in judging people; it is a tricky business
and you will take some time to wrap your head around it but ultimately you
will. The older you get, the fewer friends you will keep, so don't focus much
on 'how' many friends you have, all that matters is 'whom' have you
befriended. Take time out to rekindle with people who matter and
strengthen your bond. Life and time can be cruel. Hold on to people you know
you can trust and never let it go. The results will only make you happier. Oh yes !!! Don't feel bad about having few friends on Orkut. To
tell you the truth it is not here to stay. It would mean nothing in the coming
years, so take a chill pill!!
Much of the anxiety
and disappointment you will face in these years and those to come will stem
from the feeling of giving more but receiving less in return. This could be
frustrating to the point of collapsing but know that it is not a sign of
weakness to love and care and it does not matter what others think. However,
don't let anyone treat you with disrespect; just walk away if you ever get that
feeling. Know your worth and let others know it too! Keep your head up;
let no one insult you. Respect and love yourself and love and respect others
too. Start giving yourself a little more credit; you're not even half as bad as
you think you maybe. Forgiveness is good; it just takes the burden off your
chest, so never stop forgiving quickly and wholeheartedly.
There will always be
people belittling your efforts and underestimating your ability to do something
remarkable; let them give you what they have to offer. It should go in one ear
and out the other. There is nothing that you cannot do!!!
Sorry to break this to
you but I have never really wished to go back to being your age, however, I do
miss your idealism and pure faith. How even at the verge of losing a cricket
match, you still had faith that tables will somehow turn in our favor. You had
that pure faith which made you believe that everything will work itself out.
Try not to lose much on that !!
By the way, rest easy
on the zits; they'll leave some blemishes and stop appearing at one point in
time. Yes!! They will stop appearing!! Also, ease up on math at school, you
will have to deal with something known as 'accounting' in the future and you'll
do surprisingly well.
You are naïve to think
that treating everyone as an equal means putting up with their all sorts of
remarks and suggestions even when they make you uncomfortable. You will learn
with time that it doesn't really matter what people think or say about you. So,
learn to be assertive. All these years and you still need some tweaking there.
So, can't give you much on that.
As much as you feel
like your parents are out there to make your life miserable, when you look
back, you'll see they are the ones who truly love you. They were naturally
concerned you might end up making wrong choices and all they wanted was to
protect you, not control you. Their protection will help you internalize their
values. And know that it's OK to be a middle child; you were never neglected,
always loved the same way as your siblings. So amp down - you were NOT adopted.
Oh yes, stop rolling your eyes!!!
Ten plus years from
now, you will still not have it “all”. You will still be insecure and fearful,
wandering through life, making blunders and doubtful choices. You may not even
be close enough to having your life together, but you will start to revel
living through life's struggles. You'll love your job, follow your passion,
have an incredible family, and friends so genuine you can bank on them anytime.
You don’t have it all. But you have enough. Your biggest achievement - Amidst
all the excruciating lessons, you'll learn how to pick yourself up, brush
yourself off, and continue to move forward through life. Thumbs up, me !!!
Here's to life !!!
6 comments
So true - letter to younger me as well and oddly gives perspective to me today, too!
ReplyDeleteYeah I guess, it's more or less the same for everyone.
DeleteHey dear, so true :-) but I wish I had stayed younger 😉 there were more roses in life's bed 😉 at least that is what it seemed
ReplyDeleteYes, there were less things to worry about...but this age gives more meaning and value to life. Back then, we were less independent and more stupid :D
Deleteso true...beautifully said ...atleast same of my perspective..
ReplyDeleteThank you for the appreciation !
Delete