A Letter

Standing next to my 21-year-old self at age 31, I would offer this gentle advice from the heart:

My dear, I know that so much feels uncertain and overwhelming right now. You are hardly settled into adulthood, trying to chart your course. But trust that the way will unfold, slowly but surely.

Your deepest values already live within you. Listen to that inner compass, even when others question it. The dreams stirring in your heart are whispering who you are meant to become. Don't stifle their hopeful spark.

In the coming years, you will inevitably face heartbreak, loss, failure, and doubt. You will make mistakes. When darkness looms, hold onto the small lights - laughter, music, tears, poetry, a kind word from a stranger. These will sustain you until the dawn.

There will also be profound joys, achievements, revelations that ignite your spirit anew. Possibilities as endless as the sky await you. Release the timeline you think life should follow. Be patient yet persist. This is not a race but a lifelong journey.

You don't have to shield yourself from pain or attachment. Feel it all - the bliss and despair, passion and discontent. Drink deeply so you may know life's beauty and harness it to give back. Stay open.

Keep listening to your wild, wise heart and the voice of hope within. Follow it faithfully, take risks, don't settle. You are so loved, and will come to love yourself in ways you cannot yet fathom. Believe. Playing Adele - Easy on me O Dear Heart

My dear, though life may overwhelm, The way will unfold as you must helm. Trust your values, that inner beam, For they reveal who you're meant to be.

Dreams whisper softly your destiny - Don't let their spark be stifled. Darkness will come, obscurity - But small lights will get you through.

Joy will ignite spirit anew, Endless skies of potential await you. Release timelines, patience will pull you through, This is not a race, but a lifelong journey.

Feel it all - bliss, despair, passion undefined, Drink deeply to know life's exquisite design. Stay open, listen to your wild, wise heart, Follow it faithfully right from the start.

Take risks, don't settle, limitations defy, For you are so loved, more than you realize. My dear, believe what your soul signifies, You'll come to love yourself under life's patient tutelage.