Letters To My Younger Self
Written by various brilliant older selves

workshop 
announcement

in issue five
Scintillations
My Final Phone Call
Master Of My Fate
Almost Famous Photographers
Bugs
Cubicle Hell
Breaking Out Of My Cocoon
Letters To My Younger Self 
Boundaries & Walls
Surviving Today
Adventures In Chalking
Books That Changed My Life
Declare What You Are
My Most Brave Moment
Masks of Bravery  
Love And God
Moody Girl

poetry
Vocalizing
Bravery
The Imaginary "You"

afterthoughts
comments from our readers

contributors

take me back
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future issues
Issue Six: Friendship
Issue Seven: Trust

previous issues
Issue One: Change
Issue Two: Balance
Issue Three: Spring
Issue Four: Goddess

To My Younger Self:

You will find the right teachers.  Or they will find you.  You will learn something from everyone you meet, but some special people will be great teachers to you.  Sometimes they will teach you on purpose, sometimes accidentally.  Relationships are difficult at times, but there are great lessons to be learned from them.  Please be extremely patient with yourself.  Please be kind and gentle to yourself.  Remember that your intuition is always available to you if you will just listen.

Dear Younger Self,

The message I want to send you, my dear younger self, is that you are going to walk through your greatest fears and find yourself.

I'm glad I didn't know how brave I'd have to be. Glad I didn't know I would be the one to see my little brother's spirit leave his body the day he was hit in the road by a drunk driver. Glad I didn't know I would sit at the hospital with my Mom for 100 days while she decided to let him go. Glad I didn't know my daughter would commit suicide when she was 17. Glad I didn't know my Mom would die from a sudden illness last summer.

When I think of the courage it has taken me to live through these tragedies, I am amazed to find myself still standing. And not only still standing, but managing to become a successful artist as well. In the grieving process of losing people so important in my life, I found another important person.  Myself.  I was still here. What was I going to do with my life? What did I want to do with it?

I had to be so strong and so brave to even ask myself these questions, and even braver to listen for their answers. I wanted to paint more than anything. But I was so afraid I wouldn't be any good at it. I had to be brave enough to do it anyway. If I was no good at it, maybe I would get better. When I had my first Art Show I was scared senseless. I felt like I had literally hung myself out to dry in front of everyone. I walked through the fear once again and came out on the other side of a successful show.

Please, never despair, as you are so much stronger and capable of so much more than you know right now.

One more very important thing: please remember that the only way your dreams won't come true is if you have no dreams. Be brave and know that dreams do come true.

Much Love,

the self that made it through

Dear Younger Self,

You are precious because you're not like everyone else, so don't try to conform if it means not being true to who you are.  I know this is hard.
You may feel very alone at times.  But know that the world needs people like you, who refuse to blend in with the crowd.  Remember that even when it looks like everyone else is part of the "in" crowd and you're the "nerd", this is not the truth.  The reality is that those kids who seem to be friends with the popular kids are probably sacrificing their true selves.  It will take them that much longer than you to figure out who they are inside.  You have the advantage of knowing you refuse to pretend to be someone else just to have temporary superficial friends.  In time, you'll find other people who stand out just like you and develop deep and lasting friendships with them.

I love you because you're different, and so does God.

Love and Hugs,
Your Stronger Older Self

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