An Open Letter to my Graduation Day Self

     First off, CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! Through debilitating illness,a pandemic, and a full time work and school schedule,  you did it. I wish you could allow yourself to sit in the glow of this accomplishment more than you are. I wish you stole a second to acknowledge the effort it took. Instead, I know we did a lot of dismissing. If I wasn’t excited it would hurt less that no one else was, right? Nope! In a lot of ways, I think this was partly a more general issue. I graduated with a degree in Acting; it isn’t exactly a parent’s first choice. But, I also know it was personal. You were graduating early, without your class, and still more ill than you knew how to handle. You were terrified that for the first time “child prodigy” was no longer an option. Maybe I’m simply average and bound to live an average life? But, what's so bad about that? The truth is, I still don’t know where we are going to end up and that’s part of the fun! Average or not, I intend to enjoy the life we were given. I’m sorry I convinced you that this was just another day. One day, we’ll see that the path you took was the right one all along. 

    I want you to know that your mind is going to change in ways you can’t imagine right now. You will gain friends and lose them. You will meet exciting people and do things you never thought you were capable of. A few years after Graduation Day you will quit your job in order to pursue your acting career more fully. The only thing I could tell myself at the time was “if the bet is on myself, I'm willing to take it.” You taught me that. You taught me I could do anything I set my mind to if I’m willing to put in the effort. Can I thank you for that? You also taught me to stop listening to other people’s views on our life. I know it doesn’t feel like it now but I can’t tell you how brave it was to pick up your life and move far from home just for the shot at your dreams. I couldn’t foresee most of the adventures we’ve taken over the last few years. This project is beyond our imaginations. You even allow yourself to truly fall in love for the first time. I want to tell you that the end of school isn’t the end of life as we know it. There will always be threads of who we were woven into who we are. I love who you are and who we will become.

    And most importantly, I want you to know that we are proud of ourselves. We are proud of completing our degree under intense pressure and following through on a promise made to ourselves no matter the difficulty. I look back on my time in school and wish more than anything that I had enjoyed it more. We have always been in such a rush. For the first time though, I’m not running, and that isn’t as scary a thought anymore. You can’t turn back the clock; and no matter how much I want to at times, you can’t speed it up either. Live in this moment; soak it in. Because what graduation says more than anything is that you have made an impact; not only on your own life, but on others. You have committed to a goal and completed it. Your family is proud of you; no matter what way they show it. Your friends are proud of you too; even when they don’t share it. I am proud of you; in every way there is. 

And who knows… maybe I'll check in on you again sometime soon. 

Love, 

Your Future Self