Happy Thursday everyone.

I’m exhausted, although excited for a game night tomorrow night. Tom is playing tonight, so I SHOULD be relaxing. But instead I’ve been running around like crazy to get things ready for tomorrow night. I made some buffalo chicken dip, and chocolate eclair cake – DEFINITELY a favorite! I’ve been working so hard on getting things done that this is the first time that I’ve really had to relax, it’s been quite a day.

So. Whew, deep breath, time to relax. :) My plan is to write, and then READ! And speaking of reading, that brings me to my thoughts for this evening. In a previous post, I mentioned a book that I wanted to write more about. I’m really not sure what drew me to this book. I heard that it was featured on Oprah, but I didn’t see that. I vaguely remember hearing something on the radio about it, but I rarely pay attention to the radio. Too many darn commercials! Now that I think about it more, it really makes me wonder, why did I pick this book?

It’s called What I Know Now, compiled by Ellen Spragins.

This book is a collection of short, quick chapters. Each chapter is about a notable woman, and a brief explanation of her life. And after the explanation, comes the letter. Several fascinating women contributed to this book: Madeline Albright, Maya Angelou, Queen Noor of Jordan, and several others. The letters are what each woman would write to herself at a younger age, usually at a pivotal time in their lives. It’s really interesting to me to learn a little more about these women, and to hear them describe themselves at that age. Some of them are writing to themselves after divorces, before moving into their careers, or before meeting their long-time husbands. Some of them are writing about heartbreak, and telling their younger selves to keep going, even though it feels like their heart is shattering.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the way my life has changed in just a few short years. The pain and heartbreak that I’ve been through, and how going through that was such a dark time in my life. It’s really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you’re going through something that completely turns your world upside down. And now that I’m on the other side of that, happier than I ever thought possible, I wish that I could whisper into my ear at that moment. That I could be an invisible thought, a breath of advice for my younger self. To tell myself that life will go on. That the pain is okay, and even though it’s killing me right now, it will make me a stronger person. Other people can tell you these things when life is kicking your butt, but you never quite believe it right? And even if you do believe it, you don’t want to hear it at the time. I wonder if the attitude would be different if that advice was coming from your future self. And sometimes, when going through those horrible things that life sometimes dishes out, that voice of encouragement can mean the world to you. I wonder if it would mean even more, lift you up even higher, if that encouragement was coming from your future self.

My question to you all is, if you could write a letter from where you’re at, right now, to yourself at an earlier age, what would you say? Pick an age to write to, any age. High school? College? Newlywed? What advice would you give yourself? What tips and information would you pass along to your younger self, things to watch out for, people to look for in your life? Would you give yourself words of encouragement, or would you tell yourself to chill out and pay attention? Would you tell yourself to be open to love, or to stay away from a certain person?

What advice do you have for your younger self?