This post is inspired by a journaling challenge I’m facilitating. I modified the original question a little, and the following words poured out into my journal.
Dear 10-year-old me,
You’re going to struggle to make friends in the future. Still, you’ll get back on track despite a long period of ‘solitude.’ This period will be crucial for your life – you’ll end up having more compassion for people. You will try to connect with people having as little judgment as possible, knowing that everyone needs friends.
Enjoy being a child because it will give you the purest joy, Don’t worry about the other kids your age trying to grow up as quickly as possible. You have a lifetime of adulthood ahead of you, and once you get there, finding inane, pure joy for no reason will be so much harder than it is now.
You might now know where you’re headed, but you’re preparing for life unknowingly. Your love for languages, dance, and music will accompany you, and your work ethic will be a wonderful tool for independence and growth in your adult life.
Be grateful for your parents – they might be ‘nagging’, and you might take their presence, love, and support for granted, yet life will teach you eventually that it’s not a given.
Be grateful for your sister – you might fight frequently and will continuously encounter conflict throughout life, but the bond you have will stay. No person will ever understand you better where you’re coming from because she’s been there all along.
The people that you call your best friends now might leave you soon. This will be a bitter experience and something that will become a regular part of life. As much hurt as it will cause, as much of a reminder it will be to appreciate the moments you had and are having with those friends. Continue to keep them close to your heart because ‘miracles’ might happen, and they can come back into your life.
Don’t worry if you have no answer to the question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up’ – it’s not a question you’ll find an easy answer to – try to live your life with integrity, and opportunities will open up for you. Be bold and take them!
And one last thing: Try finding a way to love yourself because you are the person you’ll be around in your life the longest.
Love,
Constanze