Letters To The Sky

While most children were out playing, I spent most of my time writing letters to my older brother, Hasan, which helped me discover the woman that I am today: an individual who has a passion for learning, a need to help others, and an insatiable desire to change the world. Writing letters to my older brother served as an introspective learning experience for me. I learned how to fully understand my eccentric views on life, and used my knowledge to grow into a better version of myself. As I constantly evolved, I soon became fascinated with the idea of building a better future for generations to come. That is when I realized that I wanted to make a difference on a much larger scale, and found my appreciation for nature.

“What if trees could talk? Just imagine how many stories they could tell.” I was always asking my brother silly questions about anything and everything. In particular, relationships. Whether that was between people, or the environment did not matter to me. I just viewed all forms of life as being interconnected.

Through my handwritten letters, I resolved many internal conflicts and was able to be more emotionally available to my little sister and two little brothers. Tanvir, my youngest brother, was often bullied. Whenever he was upset, he knew that he could always count on me as a source of comfort. Shabrina, my little sister, always believed that she was incapable of amounting to anything, but I always said otherwise. Tonigh, my second youngest brother, seemed to think that no one believed in him, so I became his support system. In doing so, I became a part of their journey to self-discovery just like Hasan became a part of mine.

Every letter that I have ever written to Hasan has become a representation of my growth as an individual. There were times when I felt as if I was constantly misunderstood by others because of my seemingly odd points of view. I believed that I did not have a voice worth listening to. I thought that the only time that I would ever be significant was in these letters, but I was wrong. My voice did matter. I plan to use my unique perspective on life to raise awareness about our planet as a whole, so that people can coexist with one another and the environment, peacefully. That is my hope for the future.

My hypersensitivity to interpersonal relationships and self-awareness is a result of early influences and childhood experiences that I have recorded in handwritten letters to my older brother, Hasan. With each letter, I have become that much closer to my full potential as an irreplaceable contributor to my family and community. I hope to apply this awareness to my day-to-day life and continue to grow as a caring individual. I will continue to write letters to Hasan and reflect upon what I have written so that I can make a real difference in someone’s life, no matter how big or small the gesture may be. Although it is a big part of who I am, I have forgotten to mention one thing. Hasan is a brother whom I have never met. He died as a stillborn.