Whew! I made it to being a senior citizen. When I was younger, I wasn't sure I would make it that long – it seemed so far away!
I asked CHAT GPT for some fun and entertaining topics to blog about. The topic of writing a letter to your young self was suggested, so I thought I would backtrack and see what I would tell myself.
As I considered this topic, I realized I needed to examine my current situation. Life is good! It is far from perfect, and I have many frustrations and issues. However, life is good! I like who I am, I enjoy my involvement in life, and I have a purpose.
I would tell my younger self – YOU'RE GOING TO BE OK!!!!
Overall, my childhood was a positive experience. I was raised in a two-parent household where my parents loved each other and my brother and me. We always had food on the table, and our needs were met.
My issues started outside the home. I am not sharing my most embarrassing moments, as I did in a blog post a few months ago. Instead, I will share some of my antics that formed some memorable moments. Yes, they, too, are embarrassing!
Throughout my younger years, I displayed stupidity A LOT!!
I was around four years old and decided to show my two-year-old brother how to ride the tricycle down the front porch stairs. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? I made it down the first step, but when I hit the second step, the tricycle tumbled over, and I fell off the trike and hit my face on the cement. I was fortunate. My parents immediately took me to the doctor to be checked out, and all I needed was stitches on my lip.
Some of my ignorance was funny. When I went to kindergarten, class was only half a day. Once I hit first grade, students were expected to stay the whole day. I did not realize I was supposed to stay all day, so when lunchtime started, I went home thinking school was over. My mom was shocked when I walked in the door. Her main concern was that I had crossed a very busy street to get home. (I was not allowed to cross the street without an adult.) After Mom had overcome her shock, she got angry and asked how I had crossed Sycamore Street. I had made a plan; I went into the corner store and asked the owner to walk me across the street. (Things were different when I was young, and you could trust people. This took place in the 60s.) I think that Mom thought that since I took my lunch, I would know to stay and eat at school instead of coming home with my lunch to eat! My mom had lunch with me, gathered up my younger brother, and walked me back to school. She also stopped and thanked the owner of the corner store for getting me across the street safely.
I have often posted that I was awkward as a child and even as an adult. I was in 4H and participated in a Singer fashion show (who remembers Singer Patterns?) When it was my turn to walk across the stage, I walked up the steps, hit the top step, and tripped up the stairs. There was a gasp from the audience, then a moment of silence. I stood tall and walked across the stage. I received a resounding applause! I was embarrassed but did enjoy the applause.
As I got older, things were not always pretty. I shared in previous blogs that I was often bullied. I was awkward, more developed, and taller than most of my peers. I was an easy target. During those years, I thought things would never get better. I wanted to fit in and tried to fit in, but most of the time, I did not and was mercilessly teased. Those years affected my self-confidence and self-esteem and caused me to be very guarded when being around others. I find that I still struggle with being guarded when I am around people I don't know. I still worry about what others think of me.
I spent much of my childhood and teens wondering if things would improve. Don’t get me wrong, I had some wonderful times in my youth and am grateful for them.
A snippet of the letter I wrote to myself is as follows.
Dear Self,
You are going to be ok. Life will not be easy, but there are many blessings. Keep hanging in there. You will turn out to be a well-thought-of, encouraging woman. Someone you can be proud of.
Sincerely,
Your older and wiser self
Take some time and write to yourself. My actual letter is much longer and was therapeutic to write.
Take control of your life. Move forward. Give your younger self a break!!
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