Instead of waxing on eloquently as I usually do about articulated arms or our amazing new AI-augmented assessment authoring tool, I hope that you might allow me a brief digression. My partner’s 18-year-old daughter graduated from high school this week and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She is an exceptional person and has been since I met her when she was in third grade. She will be moving on to our state university in the fall, having been accepted to their Honors College, likely to study bio-mechanical engineering.
She has always loved to write, especially when she was a young girl. She asked for a typewriter one Christmas. Her mother and I would hear her tap tapping away in her bedroom. She would start story after story, though seldom progressing past Chapter One. Eventually, she started adding prologues, but rarely the second chapter. She was also an avid journal keeper: year after year and journal after journal. Private thoughts of a smart and curious mind.
When she was making the transition from elementary school to middle school, she undertook to clean out many of her papers from fifth grade to make room for the academic year to come. She deposited many, many papers in the recycling bin. I happened to recycle something just after her and a letter that she had written and discarded caught my eye. It was addressed to her “Dear Future Self.” Though I wanted to respect her privacy, I just could not help myself and I took it out and read it. It absolutely captured the earnestness of the young girl that I knew. It was so much “her” that I couldn’t see just throwing it way. So I kept it, to give back to her at a future date.
This letter has been sitting under the blotter on my desk for seven years and I think now is the time for her to have it back. But it’s the spirit which this letter expresses that is something I wanted to share with you, with her permission. Emphasis, hers.
July 23, 2018
Dear Future Self,
This letter should be helpful all throughout your life. If it is not, please write a new one. Read this everyday (sp) and remember what life means to you.
What is the meaning of life? Life is there for you, Treasure it. Love it. Embrace it. It is tough but remember: life will go on. Life would not be beautiful if it was not hard. There is no victory unless there is a mountain.
What is life to you?
Although you were not allowed to hum in your childhood for a bit of it, keep loving music. Dance, sing, live! It’s what your (sp) meant to do!
Sinning and making mistakes. What shall I do?
You WILL make mistakes. But if you always follow your heart and you won’t make those mistakes. Sadly, you will still make SOME mistakes but not as many. Don’t be afraid to say no or yes. Set the bar for yourself.
Family. It’s tough.
Brothers are annoying. I should know. But remember – try to be the bigger person. You don’t have to like him, but you DO have to love him. If you feel like someone is being mean, tell them. Also, even if you don’t want to interact with them. It’s life.
Courage: Live with yourself.
Work hard, love, and live! Be a jolly human. Laugh!
Find yourself.
Something only you can do. Follow your heart. It is a map of where you’ve been and a compass to show where you are going. Who are you? You need to ask yourself that question every day and you WILL be able to answer it every day eventually. Make it your life goal to answer that question. Find your identity within yourself.
I am very, very proud of you as you move on to Chapter Two. You are, and always have been, a very impressive person with a keen intellect and an amazing work ethic. And you are fearless. I am so excited to see where this life will take you.
Love- Ben
