Dear future Jaime,
We finally met again, after all this time. It’s me. I know you don’t know who I am, but I hope this letter will explain everything…
Right now, you’ve probably just found and opened this abandoned envelope. Its edges are creased with age and a sweet musky scent wafts into your nose. It’s been forgotten as days, months, and years have passed by. Before you found this hidden envelope, you probably were browsing through empty boxes, full of sweet memories from past days and childhood dreams. You smile as you reminisce on your vivid youth. But, little do you know as you scrummage through these old storage boxes, each containing handwritten worksheet and scribbly notes, one contains an aged envelope. An envelope that carries an important piece of your life.
Your hand reaches down to the very bottom of the box, and you felt a course seal graze your fingers. Tucked away from the outside world you find a letter, covered by piles of crumpled paper. Knowing you better than anyone else, I know you’re intrigued. Staring down at the crinkled paper in your hand, curiosity twinkling in your ocean blue eyes. You eagerly bring the envelope up into the light and then carefully peel the stubborn seal open. Your desperate to know what’s inside this neglected envelope. What part of yourself has been hidden away for the past few years.
Reaching inside you find a neatly folded white sheet of paper. Unfolding it slowly, your eyes scan over the typed print in fascination. Reading through this now, your curiosity is probably eating away at you, your restless to know who this is from. Well, this letter is no ordinary old assignment or essay. This letter is a part of you. This letter is from someone you used to be. This is a letter from your grade nine self.
You’ve probably forgotten all about me. As long days of high school have risen with the glowing sun and set with the sweeping dusk. Some of these days I’m sure were the most enjoyable days of your life. Days where excitement coursed through your veins, joy fluttered in your heart, and an undeniably bright smile lights up your face. You understood what happiness truly was on those days. While other days brought darkness to your warm light. You felt as if you wanted; no, needed to run away from everything. Hide from the cruel world. Your spirit was broken, heart crushed, and you felt as if you were watching everything crumbling down.
I hope through high school you’ve experienced both of these kinds of days and instead of cowering from your hardships, you learned over time to live for the good days and learn from the bad. Leaving the busy corridors of our high school days behind, I want you to understand that we are never truly ready for new beginnings. Stepping into the great unknown. And that’s okay. The future is so vast and uncertain. We can’t predict exactly how our life is going to end up. So, all we can do is live each day to the fullest and learn to not fear what we can’t control. Because through my life so far I have learned that the best things in life are the things we least expect.
You completed the journey from going to a silly, unconfident, curious, and unsure teenager, and transforming into a confident, sophisticated, and strong young adult ready to face the world. The pathway to finding yourself was probably a thrilling but difficult one. I’m sure you faced trials and tribulations, but I know deep down in my heart that you got through it all. You climbed mountains and then reached the top with a cheerful smile on your face. When something felt impossible, you never gave up. You came back stronger than ever before. I know you did.
So far, I’ve enjoyed the beginning of high school, but I find at the beginning of every new adventure, it can be very difficult to begin again. New experiences can change your whole outlook on life. When you’re so used to the same routine, classes, friends, and activities, you can’t imagine your life without the things that you hold onto dearly. The constants in our life.
It feels like your swimming aimlessly in the beautiful ocean, looking around, staring in awe at the beautiful scenery around you. Everything seems so thrilling and beautiful. But as you travel deeper into the horizon, craving more, you finally lookup to discover the safety of the shore, the only thing that tugged you to reality, is out of sight. All you can see is a body of unknown deep blue. At that very moment, you panic, realizing that everything around you is different and there is nothing you can do to change it back. As you continue to drift away, you feel so isolated. Alone. Lost. Do you remember that feeling? I do.
Change is terrifying, but I believe that change is something that we all need. Everyone wants to stay in their comfort zone. Its secure, predictable, safe. But change is an amazing part of life. It helps us learn who we are and grow into the person we hope to be. I hope that our high school life was full of new experiences and change. I might not be ready to accept change now, but one day I know I will. I have so many unanswered questions for you, I don’t even know where to start.
First of all, what does it feel like to be in love and have someone love you back unconditionally? I asked our mom what being in love felt like. She told me one day I would know for myself. I want to be in love so badly. I want to be vulnerable and open enough to tell someone I love them and for them to say it back. Our mom said that being in love is the best feeling in the world. That you feel as if you’re overflowing with happiness. Your heart gallops furiously and there is a slow-burning fire in your soul. You feel like you would do anything…or be anything for that person. Is that what love feels like to you? Is it as spectacular as people say?
Though with love I realize comes heartbreak. This might sound awful, but I want to experience heartbreak. I feel as if heartbreak is inevitable in our lives, no matter how much we fight and run from love to avoid getting our hearts broken. We all need to rely on, care and trust others to make it through each day. We all need love. But sometimes trusting someone can mean that they have the power to hurt you and let you down, and that can be a horrible feeling. With all this said though, I don’t fear heartbreak because it makes us stronger. It tells us to keep fighting. I hope you can still say the same.
I wish you the best as you step away from the carefree sanctuary of childhood and into the unsheltered world of adulthood, I want you to remember that life is what you make it. With that in mind don’t fear change but embrace it, to be confident in who you are, take risks, do what makes you happy, smile at strangers, tell the person that you love, that you love them back, and don’t stop fear from chasing your dreams. I’m going to make sure I enjoy the rest of secondary school, I promise. But you must promise me that you’ll be brave, You’ll be true to yourself, and you will be happy.
I believe in you.
From your biggest supporter and devoted self:
Jaime Le Roy
Wow! This is incredible, Jaime! You added so much detail which made your letter so interesting to read. I love the detailed wording you used and how it all binds together to create something amazing! Excellent work, I am impressed by you once again and I’m sure it won’t be the last time.