A letter from the past

Dear FutureMe, I am hoping you're alive to read this, I couldn't figure it out because I'm bad at math and I've been grading papers for too long. I would like you to take this opportunity to check on your personal narrative and your level of creativity, because as I write this I realize how intertwined they are. In the 2011 that it is now, you pretty much hate yourself. I mean, there are days when you accept who you are and maybe think you're not all bad. And you're going to therapy so you're working on it. But, I hope you don't feel that way Future Self, because for Current Self, it makes things pretty complicated. And being creative gets to be a major task-- creating something requires trust and belief in self. I find that when I mitigate the constant self-guessing and forget about what others think, I can ride the wave. I can say something smart that came from me and me only. I can make others laugh. So, I am hoping that in 10 years from now, you are a little more OK with yourself. In fact, I hope you like yourself and you're proud. And I hope you are OK with your wrinkles. And, if this system really works: happy birthday.