There are many moments in my life when I think about my future. I think about where I will move to, where I will work, who I will end up marrying, and how happy I will be with my life in the future. Often, I think of this perfect world where I am married to the perfect man. Together, we have two wonderful children and I work at my dream job. However, I know having such a mindset is too naive. There will be countless obstacles I will have to overcome because those hardships are never ending and will constantly happen to me throughout my life. As I write this, I truly hope I will have completed 10, 15, or even 20 of these things years from now.

So: Dear Future Me,

I hope you have the job of your dreams, or at least still striving for it. If your dream job changed, that is okay, as long as you wake up and look forward to going to work. Too many times growing up you have seen people who are absolutely miserable at work. So I can only pray you do not end up like them.

Dear Future Me,

Regardless of Mom’s pleas, I hope you left your hometown (at least for a little bit). It's perfectly fine if you moved back home but I think its important to leave the place you have grown up knowing your whole life. By leaving I know you gain perspective and experience that you would not have known if you stayed. It’s important to continue to challenge yourself and step outside your comfort zone because it helps you grown as a person, and you cannot do that if you stay in one place your whole life.

Dear Future Me,

I hope you still remain in contact with your family. They were your rock your whole life and kept you grounded. I hope you don’t neglect them by never calling and keeping to yourself. They love to hear from you, even if it’s only for a few minutes. They simply love hearing how well you are doing. So I hope you still visit them as often as you can.

Dear Future Me,

I hope you wake up every morning next to the love of your life. I hope he brings the best out of you, makes you a better person and loves you unconditionally. I hope your children see how much you love each other because that is so important. I hope your husband makes you laugh, and makes you feel so loved that you never need constant reassurance. I hope he accepts your faults, but loves you regardless. I hope he holds your hand during scary movies, supports you upon no end, and loves his children the way dad loved you and your siblings. But I also hope he feels appreciated by you and loved by you without any doubts. I hope you two are soulmates and never, ever, neglect each other.

Lastly, Dear Future Me,

I hope you still are your driven and determined self. When you were young, you were always focused on being the best person you could be. I hope you got over your insecurities and let your instincts take over. I can only hope you never let anyone define you as a person. I hope you never let others opinions or feelings towards you stifle you. I hope you have stayed true to who you are, regardless of the enemies you may make along the way.

Love Always,