A letter from May 14th, 2021: Be ready girl, this is a lot to take in!

Dear 22 year-old me, Hey Girlie! I cannot believe that this letter was actually sent “into the future.” I hope you see this and remember what life was like when it was sent. Just a bored kid sitting in AP Lang from 1 pm to 1:45 pm... every day. Writing to the future version of yourself sounds insane, because who knows if I’ll remember what I put in her? What if I become a completely different person and I don’t recognize myself from the early 2000s and more specifically, 2021? Regardless, I hope you’re happy and busy and have an amazing life with a job and stuff. I also hope that you’re ready to read this letter, because it is going to be very longwinded... just like you. (You’re writing it over the course of two weeks, so some things may just be memories you wanted to keep, but also quips you can remember in 5 years.) Anyways, I still can't believe that you chose this as a hard grade for AP Lang. I still can't believe that we took AP classes junior year. Oh God, did we have some fun times. Sitting in lunch, six feet apart with Bailey and Maddie. I sure hope you're all still friends, because if you lost them, I don't know how you would cope. These last two years were tough, and I'm hoping that it got better after the pandemic ends. (Please tell me it's over and you're not graduating outside, socially distanced, and in a mask?) Speaking of College, did you get into Baldwin Wallace? You should have graduated from there in the spring of 2026 (your year) if you got in when you applied the summer before senior year. You dreamt every day and night about going to Berea for college, and I can only hope that we do make it there some day. College isn’t so far away for me, it almost the end of junior year and you’re itching to get out of here. The freedom and responsibility of college is calling your name, and just waiting for the day that you fly free and can make it on your own is hard not to yearn for. Obviously, you decided if you wanted to do elementary or high school education, and I hope you are happy with the decision you made. I can only hope that you are half of what you wanted to be as a teacher (even though you just graduated college). Anyways, I hope you had fun and didn’t party too much at college. Did you focus and study hard to pass your exams and reach your dream job? I hope you made the best of it, and are ready for phase two: being an actual adult. (P.S. Did you date a football player? It doesn’t matter if he was pro or varsity, but did you do it?) To take a more serious note, you are amazing. You can accomplish great things. College is just the first step. Now I’m no expert, but I think you can do anything. I hope you find a guy who treats you right: you deserve it. I hope you find a job that pays for your life: you deserve it. I hope you keep and make friends who are good to you: you deserve them. I hope that you stay close to your mom; she is your best friends and without her you would be literally nothing. You deserve all of these things because that’s what its like to be human. No, it does not mean that you’re “winning,” but you are doing great and are off to do great things. Think Dr. Seuss: “You’re off to great places” and “Only you can control your future.” At the moment, I cant think of anything else I’d like to say to future me (you). But I sincerely do hope that you’re happy and successful and smart and still funny. Call James or give him a kiss for me. I love you, and you should love you too. -Kiki 5-14-21 through 5-21-21