A letter from April 25th, 2020

Dear FutureMe, Today you turn 30, congratulations. How did that 5 year plan pan out? If it didn't, remember when you wrote this; in lockdown, during an actual global pandemic where the world has gone mad. Perspective can be a blessing, and things can be a lot worse. Yesterday, president (can't even) Donald Trump suggested it would be "interesting" to inject people with disinfectant or "heat them up" with UV radiation to cure coronavirus. I don't know how bad things are 5 years into the future, but I hope to God this is the baseline from which everything has improved. If everything has continued on the same trajectory in your life, you should have (hopefully) finished your PhD by now and secured a job in an area that excites you, and makes you feel useful in this world. If you have stuck with microbiology/ antibiotic resistance research, fantastic. If not, good on you for broadening your expertise. If it's all gone to ****, look at the people around you and feel lucky. The people you have in your life at the time of writing this are keepers. If even a fraction of them have remained and you've somehow been unlikeable enough to make no friends in 5 years, you've done just fine and you're still loved. Never forget this privilege. 25 year old you may be comparably naive, and maybe this unsolicited advice will have grown unwelcome by 2025. But, retain your integrity. You have been on this planet long enough to know you are intuitive and others do not always know best, no matter how persuasive they may be. Preserve this quality and keep your enquiring mind. You have proven independent in a toxic work environment and you are capable of so much. I hope you have placed yourself in an environment that allows you to grow and recognises what you offer. Research can be a *****, but you're always in control, really. In the end, non of - this - really matters. Good luck for the coming decade, and be loved. Wherever you are, I hope you're getting trashed tonight. Your quarantined past self xxx