Message To A Younger Me

What Would YOU Say? – I’d Say “Thank You!”

So, what would YOU say to a younger you? What advice do you think they need to heed? And what would you be eternally thankful to them for?

Read on, then, as I share my own message to a younger me – a kind and loving acknowledgement of my journey (so far)…

 

(NOTE: I wrote this piece for Lori Deschene’s impressive Tiny Buddha blog. Alas, and in her wisdom, she decided against publishing it there. So I decided to publish it here, instead. The piece doesn’t feel ‘quite right’, but still – here it is, unaltered…

 

Message To A Younger Me (“Thank You!”)

The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated. ~ William James

You are reading Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges book. The date is November 27th, and your challenge is to write a letter to your younger self. And so this is what you write (if you are me)…

 

Dearest You,

Hello, how are you, it’s me – an older version of you. (Yes, really.)

I know your secrets, and I know what’s to come; I know what you suffer from, too, as you rest your head to sleep.

But I’m not here to give you advice, or predictions, nor tell you which turn to take – that really is up to you. Wherever you go, whoever you choose, whatever the fun (and the faux pas) – it’s all fine with me, it’ll all work out. (Yes, really.)

• I would tell you to regard the remarkable, catch the coincidences, and spot the situations that end up surprising. (To watch for your wisdom, let’s call it, or notice ‘that feeling’.)

• Because this ‘wisdom’ is waiting to guide you in each and every moment, if you’ll let it.

But you’ll just forget, I’m sure, if you even understand what I’m sharing – you’ll forget.

Instead, then, let me tell you this (for what it’s worth): life makes so much sense now:

• Why people do the crazy stuff they do. The meanness. Even romance.
  It all makes sense.
  
• As do you: you make sense, too.

But you’ll see this for yourself, soon enough…

 

More Messages To A Younger Me

…So what shall I say to you, then, in this letter to a younger me? What will help? Hmm, how ’bout we talk about you.

‘Bout those aspects of your character that you don’t quite recognise just yet. Wonderful, resourceful, and loving aspects of course. Aspects I really couldn’t do without.

Thank you.

Yes, I want to tell you what I have to thank you for; want to express my gratitude for you being you.

Are you ready? Do you promise not to blush, now! Then here goes…

The first thing to say is clear: I love you. Might sound a bit silly, loving a younger version of yourself, but I love you. And I will always love you, always – please know that.

Next, thank you (again) for being who you are. “The world” discouraged this at the time, it seemed, but you kept your quirks of individuality – your hop and your skip – and now “the world” is a better place for it.

So, thank you.

Thank you for staying strong. (Whichever way you could.) Especially in the face of those that called you weak.

Believe it or not, your inner strength is one of the things I love about you most.

Thank you.

As for your body – thank you for looking after it so well, for exercising, and stuff. Your example still guides me, today. Thank you.

 

But Most of All…

Thank you now for being so curious about life. Especially when everyone else had it all worked out (or so you thought). You kept wondering, kept exploring, kept on.

Ah yes – you kept keeping on. Day after day after day. And in times of uncertainty you did your best, you did your best.

Thank you.

Despite the bullying, despite the frustration, despite the isolation… despite it all – you kept going on. Thank you.

When lovers came (and went) you did your best as well. To understand, to love, and to grow. And then to get back on the horse for another go.

You made mistakes, of course – so many. And you hurt people, clumsily, and passively and sometimes aggressively. But you hurt yourself the most, y’know. (Yes, really.)

Still I thank you for these mistakes, painful though they were for you. For here I am, right now, because of them, because of you.

I am so much more aware of resilience, of wisdom,
and of love. Because of you.

Because of a journey that you started, and stayed on, lovely one – it’s all down to you.

And I thank you, I thank you, I thank you…

Thank You.

Me

PS You probably don’t know of these guys below (just yet), but they kinda sum up what I’m trying to say today… (Okay?)

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. ~ Meister Eckhart

and

I think everybody’s weird. We should all celebrate our individuality and not be embarrassed or ashamed of it. ~ Johnny Depp

and definitely

I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being. ~ Hafiz of Shiraz

END

 

Message to a Younger You?

So does any of this message to a younger me resonate with you?

Hmm, I wonder. Scratch below the surface and (I’ve found) we’re all a lot more similar than we realise…