Dear Future Me,

I hope you have found a passion or two, or at least that this specific discovery is a goal of yours. I also really hope you’ve been living with spontaneity- that’s our current soul searching obsession. Maybe you’ve gotten comfortable in your routines but I sincerely hope otherwise because you deserve a good adventure or two, just a couple simple distractions. Regardless of whether or not spontaneity is the path you have chosen, if you find this again soon then go for an adventure. Whether that means taking a new route on a walk or visiting a new state, I think you should go for it.

Now, I don’t want to be corny and do the thing where I ask my future self questions that I won’t get an answer to yet...but yes I do. How was/is school? Have you graduated? If you did then was it as empowering and as magical as you thought it’d be? Was He with you? I really hope that question didn’t trigger anything for you. I hope everything is perfect because I know you’ve been overly worried, maybr you should chill out a bit.

I don’t think you’ll forget about this and find it after too long because I bet you’ll be coming back here to keep writing but no matter when you encounter this piece, I want a response piece! Take some time to reflect. It would be sick if this was found after some cool life-changing event like your upcoming birthday...big changes in a few months! Are ypu excited? Right now, I’m pretty nervous but I definitely am excited for my own freedoms and such.

Speaking of which, and this kind of ties in to our current soul searching obsession, here is what I’s thinking for a graduation gift (or something along the lines of a reward). For starters, yes, I think a car would be amazing but it would be even better if I could get it earlier on. Getting a job is kind of necessary for that outcome and the other one I have in mind. Obviously, I would have to figure a way to be making money so I can get my car because if it is just up to my family...that will definitely take until after graduation. I want to take a trip. As a gift. Or reward.

I’m thinking of taking this trip as a way to experience my freedoms and explore my individuality. I need to learn how to manage myself and my own responsibilities so taking a trip, not too far, without my parents is the best way to start off. I’ll take a well deserved break from my day-to-day and I will get a chance to experience things by myself and for myself, without the pressures of a family-oriented itinerary. I wonder how that conversation with our mom is going to go...or even how it went. Anyway, I think a nice week in Orlando with some friends (yeah, sure) and with Him or renting out a house by the beach is the ideal experience. Something more crazy, both monetarily and conceptually, would be traveling to a different state or country. That’s a very outside-of-the-box idea, though.

I wonder what you’re thinking to yourself as you read this because while writing I’m thinking, “Yep, this is exactly how I can voice my thoughts to our mom and this is exactly what I want to experience.” I expect you would either be reading this and disappointedly looking back on how high our hopes were or you would be happily reflecting on the experience(s) and the self-discovery that occured on the possible trip. Wow, now I’m excited to look back on this in the future.

619 words to capture my high expectations and reoccuring thoughts about my future. Hopefully this is all conveyed effectively enough that I will experience the outcome my adventure-deprived soul craves.

Just say yes. Take the risk.

All I can do is hope.

-Senior Year You

11:30am on Aug 15, 2021