take care of yourself

Dear FutureMe, Right now, I am going through a difficult time. While my mental health is improving, my physical health needs some work. At age 31, I am facing the prospect of needing a total hip replacement. I am 40 pounds overweight. I feel like my brain is being held prisoner inside a defective body. Exercise still isn't my favorite activity, but I'm seeing how it benefits me, and I'm trying to keep it up. I am trying to balance the urge to move ahead in my career, without letting it take over my life and my sanity. I still wonder whether I'll ever make it as a designer at work, or whether I'd be better off just making art on my own time. My current "despair.com platitude" is thus: "Attitudes are contagious. Mine might kill you." I hope that's not still true for you. I hope that this e-mail finds you in a better mental place; and I hope that you have physically traveled to some other places in the meantime: Germany, France, Italy, Japan- maybe even China for a second time. Remember how much you loved Chris in your first year together. Remember how he was one of the things that made it all bearable, and how lucky you were to find him. Please stop regretting all the things you haven't done in the past. Make time to do the things you like to do now. Don't cry as you read this- if I fought off the urge to cry while writing it, you can, too.