Dear me,

You might not understand what I say, but always remember to listen. Perhaps, you shall catch something that sticks.

Through time, things change. They change for the better, they change for the worse. At your current age, you may have seen and experienced misery. You may have been singled out and forced to fend for your own. You may have been born in the womb of poverty. Or maybe you have been subject to something much worse. Hence, you may think the worst is over.

But I’m here to tell you something you probably do not want to hear. The worst is NEVER over. Because as time takes its toll, you forget. The memories blur. The pain fades. Thinking about the past no longer feels like an ice pick to the heart. You do not shiver at the mere thought of being in the same position all over again. You do not look over your shoulder every once in a while anticipating the cold withered hand of the past reaching for you.

Then, when something remotely near that magnitude happens again, you feel that worst feeling all over again. Yes, there is good there. It’s not all bad. Time heals both good and bad. But that makes the bad, which comes after, even more amplified.

But do not fear. Embrace the change, for change is the only constant. One day, you shall regret the things you did not do. It will be the day when you realize that you are living not for yourself, but for someone else entirely. That someone may be your parents, friends, or maybe even your own timid self.

Don’t do that to yourself. Be yourself and live life for no one other than you. Embrace your identity. Because in the end, your cultivated identity is something that you either hold very dear or burn in intense hatred. But if you do not attempt to cultivate it, you may drown in endless regret.

You should hope to hold your identity dear. But you should also fear the immense hatred that waits at the threshold. For hope and fear are like two wings of a bird; without one, the other can’t soar. So be brave and live through all the changes. Fear the risks but take the chances anyway.

If you don’t, I can promise a future full of regrets.

Yours truly,

You