A letter from Jul 03, 2024

Dear FutureMe, You are a student of Stoicism. Courage Justice Temperance Wisdom Where are you with these? Because lately, you've been a good steward of these pillars. You had the wisdom to see the reality of your life and how your teaching job was slowly ******* you. You saw the injustice of sacrificing your family for your job. And you had the courage to quit. (Not to mention that you've been working a lot harder at keeping calm and in control around your crazy grandmother and her narcissistic, prejudiced, entitled butt.) I know it wasn't easy to quit. It was the hardest decision you've ever had to make. Teachers define themselves by their jobs. If you're not a teacher any more, what are you? So, FutureMe, *what are you?* Think about it. I have some ideas from the past that might help. I hope you are still a mother, maybe even a mother of two by now. I hope you are still a loving wife and remember how special he is, even when he irks you. Of course I'd expect you to still be a cat-mom, even if your currently sick fur-baby may not be around anymore. I hope you are still there for and supported by your family. I hope you remember how fortunate you are to have a man who encouraged you to quit the job that was slowly ******* you and supported you after. Because one day, it might have ****** you very quickly. You are a human being and therefore inherently worthy of respect, from others and yourself. Just remember that you can only control yourself; your actions are your own, just as another person's actions are their own. It is no longer your job to "save the world one kid at a time," but I hope you still have that spark to take actions that make the world a better place, especially for children. I never stopped *loving* children; I just stopped thinking it was my due justice to **** myself for them -- could I not do more good for the world *alive?* Really ALIVE? I hope you still think the same way. And do not forget that gratitude is the mother of all virtues. I hope you are still taking time each day to consider what you have to be grateful for, from the cosmic level of the loving family you were blessed by the Universe to find, to the mundane potable water you use to bathe your beautiful baby. I hope you are still grateful. I hope you are even still grateful for your most successful failure -- teaching. Having a teaching job allowed you to move cities to be closer to family, the city in which you met the man you would marry; have the funds to date him and move into an apartment together; have the stability to afford a house and start a family. You may no longer be a teacher, your license may be expired by now, and others may think your education was "wasted" on a career you don't have anymore. But it wasn't wasted, it was spent. It was spent on one day having a good life. It took a long time to get there, but I hope you are grateful that you have it and the opportunity -- however painful -- you had to get it. You are a student of Stoicism. Courage, Justice, Temperance, Wisdom. And Gratitude. I hope you remember the Stoic adages and still call them to mind in times of stress. I hope you've gotten that tattoo you wanted to remind you. I hope you think about your core tenants every day. And, above all, I hope you remember how loved you are and how much love you have to give.