I Wrote a Letter to Myself for My 30th Birthday

I can’t believe you’re entering a new decade. Leaving behind your twenties with a sigh of relief and a grand adieu. You were faced with many growing moments over the past 10 years. Moments of joy, happiness, learning, and pain.

You met lifelong friends, stayed connected with childhood friends, and some that only stayed for a season. You traveled a lot. Through the US to see canyons in Utah, the hustle of California, the snows of Wisconsin, and the sunsets of Florida. You visited 6 countries from tasting pastries in France, wine in Italy, hearty food in Germany and Ireland, popping bottles in Prague, and prancing around London.

You also experienced loss. Loss of a father, a grandmother, a grandfather, and both of your girlfriend’s parents. Loss of friends who moved away, relationships that ended, and jobs you parted with. Loss of expectations for people who couldn’t meet you where you were at and loss of a past self that no longer served you purpose. And not to mention the loss of a sense of normalcy over the past few years.

In your short 30 years of life, you experienced many large events. 9/11, major elections, war, the legalization of gay marriage, the evolution of technology, senseless prejudice induced shootings, an ungodly amount of school shootings, devastating natural disasters, the BLM movement, the #MeToo movement, and the COVID-19 pandemic plus so much more.

Yet here you are, approaching 30 and still carrying on. You still wake up every day and motivate yourself to work hard, learn new things, love hard and be a good person.

You are strong and resilient.

There are many reasons that you could’ve given up, but yet, you persisted. You pushed forward. You may have had forks in the road questioning which way to turn, but you chose the path of light instead of darkness every time. You had so many reasons to submit your power to fear, yet you chose bravery and vulnerability.

You found love. Someone who showed you unconditional love. And you tore down your walls so that you could love in return. Not only did you choose to love someone else again, but you also chose to love yourself.

You dug deep to find your authenticity and let her be seen to the world. You chose to learn your boundaries instead of living boundlessly. You've confronted your fears only to find that there's always a net to catch you on the other side.

My wish for you in the next decade of your life is to keep working hard to keep your authenticity. Stick to your boundaries because you are important and your time and emotions deserve to be protected.

Hold on to your bravery, vulnerability, hope, and love. Remain strong through your moments of anxiety and remember that your thoughts are not always facts. Be kinder to yourself.

I wish for you to take more chances, speak up more often, talk about your feelings more and remember that life is worth living. You are brave and beautiful.

I hope that you choose to show up for yourself when you experience hard times in the next 10 years. They are inevitable, so learn to respond with grace instead of reacting out of despair. Show yourself more compassion and surround yourself with people you love.

Remember your worth, don’t settle for less and when you feel like giving up, take the path where you can see the light instead of falling back into the darkness.

Step into your birthday being 30, flirty and thriving.

And don’t forget, I’m always with you.

Love,

Me.