September 25 "From Me to Me: Letter to Self" by Daniella Guitierrez

Two summers ago, I started a personal tradition. It was the summer before I started my first semester working as an English tutor. My life was changing, and I was hopeful after experiencing a period of confusion and stagnancy. To whom could I divulge my innermost feelings about the transformation I was undergoing? I have always kept a journal to confess my deepest wishes and hopes. However, I immediately knew I needed to write a letter to myself. I carefully picked out a letter from an art museum. On its front cover, a pink watercolor flower decorated its crisp paper. It was a blank slate, ready to be filled.

As I sat in the back of the car, the afternoon rays caressed my face with gentleness. Lana Del Rey was playing in the car with the lyrics, “let the light in,” describing how I felt in that moment. After a period of darkness, I could only imagine the things that awaited. Later that month, I wrote my hopes and dreams for myself. It is one of the most special things I have done for myself to this day. Two years passed since then and as I “predicted,” I experienced a major growth spurt emotionally and mentally. Life blossomed in me through every circumstance of joy and pain. This letter was proof of who I once was; reading it is a bittersweet reminder of all I have accomplished and learnt, while still acknowledging the things that helped me mature.

As such, two years later, I revisited the same art museum with the sole purpose of finding another letter. A new chapter demands a new letter to self. I chose a letter with the artwork of an older man wearing a plaid flannel, playing the trumpet. He is deeply concentrating. This art museum was now familiar to me after visiting a few of its exhibits. I was becoming more grounded in who I was, and for the first time in my life, learning who I truly am. The true sign of growth was within me, even if externally, it had yet to be manifested.

Writing as a we know has many purposes: to educate, to entertain, to inform, and to persuade among others. For me, writing is a way to form a deeper connection with myself. It has taught me that the deepest relationship one can have is with oneself. The new letter I wrote to myself manifested the new approach and mentality I now carry with me. The words, “bad artist” resonated deeply with me, signifying that it is better to create and to try than to never do anything at all. I return to this letter when I lose sight of who I want to become and when I lose optimism.

To whom it may concern: I suggest writing a letter to yourself, whether you are beginning a new season of your life, or are going through a difficult or slow transition. A year from now you’ll find your life is not the same.

I leave you with the words of Emily Dickinson:

 “That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet”.