I've seen this question posed so many times throughout the years, but I never really paid much attention to it.. until I hit my 30s. Someone on Twitter posted, "What would you say to your younger self?" It's something about leaving your 20s that makes you immensely appreciative to not look back. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed myself, but walking through that valley of soul-searching is rough!! I feel so much more settled into who I am now.
How you approach this question can be fun - yes. There's a bit of both intro- and retrospection here. I mean, looking back at my life now, and I've done pretty well. Am I completely happy with how I've turned out so far? The answer changes daily, lol. I will say that I am at peace and look forward to a promising future.
However, if in some cosmic way, I stood face-to-face with a young Anastasia, what would I say to Her when asked "how's my life now?"
I think I know what I'd say back.
Dear Young Ana:
Your parents are people, too. In time, you'll realize they do not have the awareness, nor resources, to not pass down their traumas. You're going to spend a great part of your life unlearning what's been passed on to you.
You won't be "boy-crazy." And this will make you feel "weird" that love wasn't a priority for a while -- you get over that. When you felt like it, you kissed a few frogs on your journey to a true Partner. And it happens. :)
College will be a blast, but you didn't take some of those "friends" into your adult life. C'est la vie...
You're going to experience heartbreak like none other. You will heal, eventually.. but it'll stick with you.
Get ready to start life over 50-11 times.
Your friends are your real family. Your blood family are relatives, with a few exceptions. Trust me: you ain't missing nothing.
You will go back to school when you swore you wouldn't, lol.
The world is going to use all the things that you love about yourself, against you. Everything you do, how you look, and what you say is political.
You'll lose your smile for a while. It'll come back, though :)
You're going to find your voice, and you'll be heard, but it's going to take some time (because.. trauma). Just be patient.
You will trust yourself. And it is beautiful.