A letter from December 25th, 2020

Dear FutureMe, These past couple years have been rough. We’ve traveled, lived alone abroad, been misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety, lived through a pandemic, started working at a grocery store and moved back in with Mom and Dad. As I write this, we are 3 days away from brother’s 1st wedding anniversary. Do we get along with sister-in-law now? It’s not that I dislike her, it’s just that I lost my best friend when he found a new one. I miss him. He calls every-now-and-then, but it’s not the same. He’s always distracted. Do we still talk to best friend living abroad? When was the last time we saw her? How is she and her family? Was school a nightmare? We should be done by now. Did you get in to Dental Hygiene? Did you pass your boards? Are you a registered dental hygienist (RDH)? Do you have a job as a RDH? Where is it? Do you like it? Did you move away from that stupid little town that you can’t stand? Have you seen Yellowstone and Sequoia National park? Any dating prospects? Right now I know no one that I’d want to settle down with, but I do want to. Did you get a dog finally? What’d you name it? How’s your savings looking? Are you in debt? I sure hope not. I worked really hard to get you ready for school... I guess I just hope that things are going well. I hope that you finished school and got a great job far away from where you are now. I hope you have a dog and that you talk to your sister-in-law like she’s your sister. I hope that you go on weekend trips to national parks and go camping in the summer with friends. I hope that you take long walks and breathe in the fresh air. I hope you binge your favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies and read books on rainy days. I hope you can look in the mirror and feel beautiful. I hope you can appreciate your good qualities and not compare yourself with others. I hope you are grounded and have a good support system. I hope you are content with your life. If not, here’s a hug from me to you. We’ll make it through this. We will come up with a different plan and we will find a way. Things will be good one day. I hope they already are, but eventually things will be good. You can make it through this. You can feel better. I’m hoping that my hard work now will leave you with better days than mine. I hope our hard work paid off. I hope we’re good. Love, Past Me