To my Future Self
- Rachel Rawson-Chatterjee
- Dec 30, 2019
- 3 min read
End of another year already? That happened fast.
My husband and I have come to this agreement, the older you get, the quicker the time goes by. When you're young, a year feels like a lifetime. I mean remember how long a school year felt? And that technically was only 9 months. When you're a grown adult, it feels like a wink of an eye. Maybe it's getting into a routine where every day blurs into another, replicating the familiar structure of wake up, work, go home, eat, sleep, repeat. Like sand in the hourglass, these are the days of our lives.
I was clinging to my usual Sunday morning routine which includes sleeping in, reading saved articles from my Facebook in bed. Nowhere I need to be, just like I like it. I was reading this article from The Lily about high school girls writing to themselves 10 years from now in 2030 (link at the bottom of the page). When I stumbled upon this, I was thinking backwards and forwards, like what would Rachel from 2010 think of Rachel version 2020? What will I expect to change in 2030?
Firstly, let's just acknowledge that 20's are often growing years. It's foundation building. I personally felt more like a nomad or a walking tree with no roots settled much of anywhere. My mind and feelings could change like the weather. Closing my eyes, I tried to remember how I rang in 2010. It honestly wasn't super memorable, just a house party with some friends from high school. I remember feeding my drunk friend grapes. Hilarious. I was finishing up my senior year of college and eventually graduated in June of 2010. If you asked me what I wanted to do with my life back then, I had my sights focused on becoming a teacher, a licensed clinical social worker or a school counselor. No matter what, I wanted to work one on one with others and help people achieve their goals. That and I fully intended on going out of state. My other big plans included getting my Masters, getting married at 25 (for some reason, I thought it was a magic number!), traveling to Thailand to teach English and I really wanted a pug.
Spoiler alert: I did move out of state for school for my Masters in Counseling. I also dropped out of the program after one term. I did however switch programs and I did get my HR Management Certification. I still have only been to Canada. No pug, but more of a cat lady. I got married just shy of 30 (but hey- I did meet him after I turned 25 so... magic?). I did eventually go on to tutor kids in English part time in the Portland area before I moved to Boston. To sum up, some of my dreams made it to fruition but some remained at the wayside and that's OK.
When I followed this exercise to write myself a letter to myself in 10 years when I'm 42, I honestly didn't know how to write it. I thought about what most refer to as a 5 year plan and extended it into a 10 year plan. What do I need to see, experience, taste, possess still? I mean, Thailand is still somewhere I would like to go. Maybe I'll be in a more managerial role. Perhaps I will own something more fabulous than a Honda Accord (which I actually love, TBH).
But it's not always about change. What if I want what I have right now to last another decade? Gushing, I think about my husband. I know we will likely hit speed bumps and rough patches, but I hope we can still be in love like we are now, approaching our 7th year together. Maybe by then we will upgrade to a king size bed. My friends, a mix of high school, college and work friends, will still be in my phone to call if I'm having a rough day.
Highly encourage everyone to write a letter to themselves. The Lily article is here from some bright young gals. Cheers to the new year and new decade!
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