A letter from May 13, 2024

Dear FutureBean, I'm 17 right now. You'll be reading this and turning 19, so, happy birthday. Hope your summer is going well. I just got my wisdom teeth removed and I'm still working on school, so I assume you're doing better than I am, haha. 6 days ago, I got a boyfriend, which is pretty exciting. Things are moving kind of slowly, but it's refreshing after what's happened the last few times. Maybe you're still with him. I kind of hope you are, or at least, that you're with someone good. I'm getting ready to graduate, which is really exciting. Purdue! It might not be exactly where I wanted to go, but I'm rooting for it being a good experience. How is it going, so far? Are you still in the major we planned on being in? Are you still taking care of the garden at home? I'm still working on digging the hole for it right now, I hope you've made it as beautiful as I want it to be. I find it very funny that I'm sitting here asking all these questions, even though my present self will never receive any answers. You'll be answering to yourself, but, maybe I'll be out there in another universe in the back of your mind listening. I see you, right now, with your friends. That's the goal at least, never, ever spend a birthday alone. Always party, got that? I see you as a happy person, hopefully still with bleach blonde hair and a 4.1 GPA. I hope you're still making art for yourself, and that you haven't sold out entirely. (I feel like I'm selling out. I hope we've ironed out our creative side by the time you get this letter.) However, I do still hope that business is booming. How's the Dreamland going? Did we hit 1k members yet? You better be taking care of it still. I hope you finished freshman year strong, and that you still take mom out for dinner sometimes. I assume Mother Mother is still your favorite music artist, and if they aren't, there's something seriously wrong. You've just finished your freshman year in college, on top of everything. How was it? I hope you're in clubs, and that you've completed all of the goals I've set for you. If you didn't, don't worry, there's still time. You can do it. Did you stick to writing and finish drafting Beyond Bounds? Right now, I'm about 38k words in. I hope you've hit at least 80. You've got to keep dedicating at least 20 minutes a day to writing. Make time for it. I've been struggling with that a lot lately, but I have faith that we'll make a comeback. There's a lot more to say here, but I don't want you to have to read for too long. Plus, this is a school assignment, and I don't want to torment my teacher with a giant essay to read. I want you to know that you should be proud of yourself. I'm proud of myself now, as stressful as everything is that I'm doing, and I hope you feel the same way. I hope you've continued to surround yourself with good, healthy people, and that you haven't fallen into anything bad. I hope you're still doing well with modeling, and that you're still doing well with freelance art. I'm sure you are. I hope you never feel lonely again, and if you do, know how many people love you. All you have to do is text or call one of them. Remember, no matter how bad people can be, there are still good ones out there if you don't shut them out. Stay motivated, you've got 3 more years of college, and you'll be out into the world. Keep working towards Cali, or wherever you want to go if you've changed your mind. Please keep taking care of yourself, both mentally and physically. You know I love you, and I hope you'll remind me again even further into the future. Stay grounded, remember what is ACTUALLY important, and try to stay happy. Finish your novel, finish college, and succeed.