Curtys, 31

Letter to My Younger Self

Dear Curtys,

I will try to make this simple, though nothing really is ever simple, not for you.

First, your circumstances are not a reflection of your worth. When I say this, I am speaking about the things you lack, not the things you have. Your mother’s passing was not because you did not deserve to have her. She was a child of God, and for reasons beyond man’s understanding, she was called home. You also are a child of God, and one day you too will be called home. Until that day, it is important that you live in honor of your mother. You have a very important role in this world. It is your responsibility to live out your fullest potential, making the world a better place one day at a time. If this sounds vague to you or too complicated a task, I advise you to be patient. Life will present you with a plethora of choices to make, and in those moments when you do not know what is right and what is wrong, this will make more sense to you.

Second, you are unique. There is no one like you and you will never be like anyone else, no matter how hard you try. Being different is not always embraced in the space time reality you currently occupy. For some reason, the world has a way of changing people to fit its mold. The world, nor anyone in it, should ever be able to change you. God made you perfectly in the image of the universe. If you ever feel the need to be good enough for someone else, I want you to remember one thing. You are perfect just the way you are and anyone who does not appreciate you does not deserve your uniqueness.

There is a flip side to this. You should not attempt to change anyone to fit your mold either. Everyone under the sun is unique. If you ever find yourself trying to change another person, then you are focused outward and not inward, and thus unable to fulfill the responsibility of living out your fullest potential.

Finally, society will try to define you as a man. This has the ability to become problematic because society has not properly defined for itself what a man is. There is nothing wrong with being a man if that is what you so choose. However, when you decide to be a man, define what that means for yourself. Always remember that aside from being a man it is inevitable that you be a person.

During your journey, one of the choices that you will have to make, or maybe the sum total of all of them, is what kind of person you will be. Some people believe that there are good people and bad people. Me, on the other hand, I believe that there are people who are living out their fullest potential and there are people who are not living out their fullest potential. I want you to strive to be one of the people who are. However, it is not important what I or anyone else wants for you. What will matter in the end is what you want for yourself.

Stay true. I love you.