A Letter to My Future Self

16^th July 2075,

I’m writing this letter to you from a far-off place… from the future. My hand trembles, my memory wanders, and the face in the mirror seems like a stranger. You see, I’ve gotten very old now.

You may not realize it but all these years went by really fast.

To read this letter from your future self must feel thrilling and you must be experiencing a plethora of emotions within you ranging from doubt to wonder. The jubilation within you is understandable.

Life here is extremely different and everything is beyond imagination. It is ironic that I call myself a writer and yet I can’t find words to describe the marvel of this world; all I can say for now is that it’s different. Just the fact that I’m able to send this letter to you fifty years back in time explains it.

Future is a good place to be.

But let me tell you something today – despite the magic life here offers, I still miss the life that you are living right now. In fact, I’d give anything to go back and relive it just for a moment.

I regret not realizing the best phase of my life while I was in it. I always thought the future would fix everything, but now I realize how naïve it is to fantasize about the future and ignore life as it unfolds silently in real time.

I was always too busy, too behind, too work in progress to be fully happy. When I thought about being old and turning 70, it felt an awful long way away. And then, I blinked, and I was suddenly 70. It’s crazy how time flies.

But I never made it to the African safari in spring, I never got to see a play in the Broadway theater or experience the Swiss alps in summer. It was always too crowded, too expensive, or something or the other kept coming up.

And I just kept pushing things off thinking I’ll do it next year but it never happened. I have lost the motivation and interest to do it anymore now.  

I should’ve enjoyed life despite its inadequacies, the half-built feeling, the work-in-progress phase because now I see those years had certain moments that would never come back.

Learn to improve your life without rejecting your current life.  Ambition and contentment can co-exist.

Today, you have your loved ones around you. You have moments of laughter and adventure… and above all you have the energy that only youth offers. These are the feelings I long for today.  

What appeared ordinary then has become precious now in hindsight.  

Just the mere fact that you get home on time, have sound health, and have the luxury of time to do things you like is so enticing. It is actually a privilege.

Privilege isn’t the presence of comforts and benefits. It’s the absence of restrictions and barriers.

Failing at things you love isn’t failure, it’s actually a privilege… a privilege that you were able to spend resources on something you loved and continue your life uninterrupted despite failing.

Likewise, the ability to create memories that you can cherish later as nostalgia is a privilege. A privilege that your life was decorated with pleasant feelings that are worth cherishing.

Nostalgia is less about facts and details, and more about feelings. You eventually forget all the minor inconveniences, tensions, inadequacies – all that noise will fade away and what will remain years from now on a deeper level is how you felt.

So don’t let those inconveniences dictate how you feel. Protect your feelings. Protect your nostalgia.

When I began this letter I wrote Future is a good place to be, but that was just the first part of it… let me finish it now.

Future is a good place to be, but it will never be as good as the Present.

Just entertain this thought that what if the life you are living right now is actually the best phase of your life? If so, would you crib less and celebrate more? Would you stop putting things off for some day in the future?

It would be unfortunate to be in the best phase of your life and not realize it, right? It is like taking countless photos of a sunset, chasing the perfect shot, only to realize later that you never actually paused to watch the sun go down.

Wouldn’t it be better to notice its beauty while it’s still on the horizon?

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