A letter from February 28th, 2014

Peaceful right?

Dear FutureMe, You're 26 today, congratulations. I am not doin to hot right now but all I can think about is you. The hardship I endure today is for you. The day when I finally know what my calling is and act upon it. I hope you are still working with children, I hope Jeremy is happy, and I bet Julianna is the prettiest 14 year old on the face of the planet. And I bet you have a really hot guy in your life and if you just groaned at that sentence our prince is probably lost somewhere, but he'll find us. But there are two things that I want done by the time I'm your age and if you got sidetracked by reality, just do these for me: 1: Deliver The Letter. I know the date inside says 2013 but it needs to get to it's owner. I don't care where he is right now. 2: Please tell me you traveled. Now I know you so well that I am betting that if I didn't do it you winced and then was filled with regret and then you will try to rationalize not going with something like "But you don't understand little Jenna, I have bills (and probably college loans to pay off)!" Yea, that's not flying. Just do it. Go to Scotland. See a castle. Check out them fairy pools on the Isle of Skye. Geek out at the Sherlock Holmes museum. Recite Sonnet 116 at the Globe Theater. Geek out again at the Doctor Who museum. Do it for me and all the hard days I'm spending dreaming of the day I don't live at home anymore. Or maybe I never figured out what I want to do with my life. Maybe God has thrown a boomerang at my life and I haven't recovered (very likely). Maybe I'm living in the basement. Maybe I have no money. Maybe the entire world has been taken over by cyborg robot squirrels. Maybe I'm dead. Maybe I died in the service of my country defeating the last infantry of the cyborg robot squirrels on the lawn of the White House dying heroically by sacrificing myself to take out the last evil squirrel with their blinking evil red cyborg eyes knowing that without taking out that last squirrel that that one squirrel would immediately make 12,000 more of the demons and that it was my sacrifice alone that brought them down. Maybe the nation erects a monument in my name for my epic sacrifice. Maybe I sell that idea to Disney and Cyborg Robot Squirrels becomes the blockbuster film in 2020 that teaches not just honor and bravery, but also the power of friendship. Or maybe not...But hopefully I'll still like quotes... I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again. -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Epilogue

almost 2 years later

Dear Past Me,

God, I wish I could talk to you and actually deliver this message. You were going through so much and felt so alone. I wish I could...

Podur am of who tlle oyu i oyu. Eht oyu donfu so so ni uyro nyam trgosn tbu ecaf ni osetlbsac ayw if,el ruoy ouy enigb of reew. Ti a okto ehwil. .
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Dsuty to,n bileeev ot teg evha coagncntiu ni mdae or iosacaste my akcb spylosib ihwt hbrsaecol rsesat'm dna go uoy htiw alhug! eelcgol it wot we udwlo oen treaguad ady nad my resedeg pslna chhwi yuo. Gllinbae mcloptelye iedfl, now, oofd in hirgt i'm trndeeffi a. Ritgasn get ubt a at ypa swa nsgionrm sxobe bcak to of earcel fof ildw lla rnyjeou eht it theso heer, osde. Mi' nyeorma tbu krwo neif iyeednltfi dont' with hatt ti's idcrlneh i hitw.
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Happy emrejy is. Paehipr vree anht. Eh tish osla 01 rdaaudegt yra!es lyiafnl arye fetra.
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Eogs j a by own ysda nuiljana. Ahtp oginrgf adtlneet tere'yh nda abeufulti adn wno otnastnylc are aesynnli tireh.
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Ka!alas si igtsnh lucnyterr reinciblde nad giodn esmo yjo si ni.
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He deoph you si a rhievntgye loucd adn fro we erev icrnep aevh od difn. Tnah s'it het senlvo rade ovel 'erew nad ni we lla etertb. Veenr but ikle cplea fesle ebne erfboe 'euyvo dna thta mgonvi a uoy uot den to emho mgoivn up od. Eth ntkhi sti' i eev'w bset adme reev ioedcnis.
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Edanwt em nseibssu yuo ot hte sn:hiif orf.
Teh dlerdeeiv rtltese we 1:. Verey stla one. Ni resnop.
Me ot 2: and idd i nodlon did ouy revlta in eytvnigerh i to dwtena 1802. Dotroc eastcl, lowhe teh sumu,em owh lto. Eahv sa well egailtrvn mroe prit hatt eoph i sa od eatk rethso ot esom nad i lsnotadc ofr lpnsa. .
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Nto urse erew orfesuyl uoy of irlrques hwta this, ktnignhi tub ewre rfo rtmate roybcg wsylaa the obort no htwa oyu oinoptr. Sphae in x""d riyuqk evne oruy. Fro i ihhcw aluft cna't uoy rlyeal. Teh idd aws a idtnfyelie lowdr efnidfter vhae eorm uyo in ivlered os hnta tish iamenpcd ianeimgd rlttee cloud. .
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Oevl,.
Jnean.