A letter from January 29th, 2021

Dear Me, Hey, bestie! It seems that you’re still using email, huh? I hope this letter finds you well. On the day I am writing this, I am a 16-year-old junior at KWHS in my Financial Literacy class. I hate financial lit. We are not respected here. What are you up to these days? Right now, I’m starting to look into college and trainee programs. Here are some goals I have as of today: Short term, I would like to graduate next year with at least a 3.75 GPA. This goal is specific, measurable, and timely because it’s a specific event that I would like to have (my graduation), and it either happens or it doesn’t. It’s achievable and realistic because I have put forth the effort and steps to get there. Another short term goal is to put on my Senior Show next Spring. More specifically, I would like to create an evening-length dance performance in the Spring of 2022 as a last hurrah/capstone. This is another event that is measurable because it either happens or it doesn’t. As for timeliness, Spring of 2022 is perfect because it’s towards the end of my senior year and I have a lot of planning to do. This event is achievable and realistic because I will put forth the time and effort to make it a reality. Now let’s talk long term. Five years from now, I’d like to be dancing with a company, most likely as a trainee or apprentice. That’s about as specific as I can get because the job market is so competitive. This goal is measurable because I will either be dancing with a company or I won’t be dancing with a company. Achievability & realism? Interesting question. I’m working at full capacity, we’ll just have to see if my best is enough. This goal is fairly timely because it is a few years post-graduation and will give me time to train more if need be. Post-retirement from dance (fingers crossed for a long career!) I have a goal to be a part of the production of a short film (or participate in a professional film production of some sort). This goal isn’t super specific because I’m flexible and I’d be happy to work on anything. Measurable? I either get there, or I don’t, there’s no halfway. Achievability & realism? Depending on my dance career and college, I may end up in a film school of some sort for a minute before I get this opportunity, which is cool with me as long as I get the skills to succeed. That also contributes to timeliness. How about we set this one up for 2050? Anyways, don’t forget to give yourself grace if none of this happens (I hope you’ve been working on that!) Things change, and that’s okay. I leave you with a quote from a song I listened to for the first time this morning: “We’re learning to trust our bodies/Making peace with our own distortions” (Arlo Parks, Collapsed in Sunbeams). Make of that what you need today. Hope you’re happy & comfortable in yourself & your *********, that’s what matters. Sincerely, Aubrey