I wrote this letter 3 years ago today, about six months after a horribly traumatic freshman year of college. This was just the beginning of my healing process. But the words were just as true then as they are now. Dear friend,
I hope this letter finds you doing okay, and maybe helps to make you smile. Because let me be the first to say that life has its ups and downs, and when you’re living in a “down”, it can be pretty rough. I know the feeling well. I’d like to start off by saying, my dear, that you are not crazy. Every feeling, emotion and thought that you have, no matter how strange it may feel to you, is real. If you feel like you’re going through a hard time, you are. Recognize that so that you can stop beating yourself up about it. “I shouldn’t be feeling so sad right now” or “I can’t believe I’m so angry” do nothing to make you feel better or change your situation. Sometimes, you just can’t pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Most of the time, it’s not your fault at all, you’re just in the middle of life happening. And yes it sucks. It REALLY SUCKS. But trust me when I say that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. I swear to you that there is. During this hard time, whatever you may be going through, don’t forget how beautiful you are. Yes, I’m serious. You are beautiful. Even if you’re going through a phase of not showering and wearing sweatpants everywhere (trust me, it can happen….). Somewhere inside you, you have a beautiful, loving soul, and no one, and no amount of sadness, or crazy life stuff can take that away from you. Now all of this is not to say that I’m telling you to just drop everything and BE HAPPY. Because God only knows that telling someone who is not happy to just BE HAPPY is like telling a fish to grow legs overnight or demanding a snow day in the middle of June in Mexico. It just can’t happen. That’s not what I’m saying. What I am saying is don’t forget your self worth through this all, and also, HAVE FAITH that it will all be over someday. Because it will. Just hunker down, get as comfortable as you can, and ride the storm. (Keep your eyes peeled and you might even see a rainbow after!) I can’t guarantee it will be over tomorrow. Or in two days. Or even in a year. I can’t see into the future like that, I’m sorry. But when the world seems like it is grey and evil and sad and you feel like you will never feel happiness again, I’m telling you that you do not have to worry, because that sadness is NOT forever. The world and life and the universe and nature all work in strange ways, one of which being that nothing is permanent or stagnant. I heard someone once refer to life as a river, and it’s totally true. We are just along for the ride, but rapids can’t last FOREVER. All rivers must lead SOMEWHERE. And lastly, this thing you are going through will make you a better person. Yes, it’s hard to hear right now, and it is perfectly 100% okay if you don’t believe me now. But bookmark this letter and read it again down the line when you’re feeling better, and see if I was right. (Spoiler alert: I am). Your suffering now, as painful and hard and horrible as it may be, is in your life to make you better. It is there for a reason. You may not see it now, but you will look back on the experience one of these days and feel some sort of gratefulness for the whole thing. I swear. So, my friend, wherever you are right now, please know this: You are not alone, and you will get through this. Have faith that this is not forever, and that it will be worth it in some way in the end. I know the hopeless feeling, and it’s pretty horrible. But don’t give up. You are on this earth for a reason, and this is just one more step towards you figuring out what that reason is. Believe in yourself. I know I believe in you. All my love, prayers and hugs, Greta
1 Comment
Yue Xu
10/7/2016 06:24:31 pm
Great! I truly believe that. <3
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