Open Letter #5: To Myself as a Child

(c) Google Images.

Hi you,

This is a letter from the grown-up you from the year 2016. Uh huh, seems so far away, right? Don’t underestimate the ticking clock. It ticks away very fast and it seems to be racing now. I know you’re about to turn to the age of double digits and you’re full of energy, hope and dreams. You are happy. I remember that.

 You have just started writing and you seem to enjoy it very much. Your classmates enjoy your pieces and always look forward to reading more. By 2016, you are totally in love with it. It’s who you are; you were born to write. So keep writing those plays. You’ll soon decide to write prose and then later articles and poems. Don’t rush it; it will come to you in due time.

I know you say you want to be an engineer when you grow up whenever you are asked in class because of dad but we both know that’s not going to happen. You say it because it makes you look cool. But when that fazes out, you’re going to start wondering what you’ll be. Can you believe you’re still wondering that in 2016? I’m sure you’d be asking yourself what you’ve been doing all this while. That, my dear, is a good question. You’ve been finding yourself in a long, winding road and trust me, every experience has been worth it.

You are going to have some pretty wonderful friends but you’ll part ways somehow. It will happen more than once so brace yourself. It will happen the moment you feel content having one or two good friends to hang out with. This will make you keep to yourself most often. I wish you could open up more but I guess it’s embedded in the DNA.

I don’t remember when exactly but you’re going to be uncomfortable wearing necklaces because of some horror movie you watched where someone was strangled to death with a rope in the shower. If only I could remember the title of the movie. That feeling never goes away. I know mum will pester you about wearing them so you’d appear more lady-like. But it does get better. You can wear one once in a while but you would keep touching it to make sure it’s loose enough not to choke you. Sorry about that.

You don’t like math; you try your best but it doesn’t excite you. It still doesn’t flash forward to now. But endure it and pass your papers, ok? As for the reading subjects, you’ll do great.

Dad will make you memorize some Bible verses; do well not to forget them. You feel safe enough to sleep at night only after dad has come to pray for you. But after you’ve grown a little, that’s going to stop and you’d have to start praying for yourself. God hears you when you pray so do pray every day. When you have a bad dream, pray about it and tell mum. She is always praying for the family and she still does. Your quiet and timid brother will have an attitude changeover due to a younger sister you’ll have who will shake him up. She will be fierce, outspoken and totally different from you. But she will look up to you. So do well to be a good big sister to her. She’ll get on your nerves often but she’ll make you proud.

Life hasn’t exactly been a stress-free ride so far as I write you this letter. But you’ll grow stronger. Keep reading, writing and learning songs. As for dancing, you know mum always teases you when you do it and soon you’ll stop it altogether. I wish you wouldn’t. 

Never stop loving yourself and no matter how rough it gets sometimes, remember God loves you more.
With love from,

The grown up you.
*****

You’re invited to write a letter to your younger self too. It was fun having to recall my younger days. Even if you had a painful past, it would be encouraging to write to the younger you about how better things become when you get older. Give it a try, will you? 

As always, thanks for reading.
© Josephine Amoako 2016