You are nothing and nowhere compared to where I thought we would be, but that does not disappoint me. I think even without you realizing it, you’ve managed to let go of the expectations of the world and you found yourself. You stopped following the paths of others and became who you wanted to be. You’ve struggled along the way, but who doesn’t? We’ve never known happiness, but I can see that you’re destined to figure it out. You have a curiosity about life that can’t be traded, diminished, or forgotten– even though it feels like it a lot of the time. You have become stronger and smarter than you give yourself credit for. You’ve escaped the expectations of the world, but now you need to escape the expectations I set for us. I know I had big dreams for us, but that’s the life of a dreamer. When having so many doesn’t lift you up, it’s okay to release them like a balloon into the air. We can’t hold on to every single one forever. This life is about more than than your accomplishment collection. Remember what it’s like to be carefree, and to have fun! Find the part of us that believed anything was possible before everyone told us it wasn’t. I know there’s a lot about  yourself now that you don’t like, but I believe there is so much to love. Maybe the greatest thing you can do is to love yourself, and to let yourself be loved back. We’ve never been good at giving any of the love in our heart to ourselves, but I know you’re capable of doing so. Why are we so willing to give it all away, anyways? Give to yourself what you truly deserve, because you do deserve it. We deserve it. And know that no matter what you do, I will always be proud and view you as someone to look up to. I love you.

Yours Truly,

You 10 years ago