When I was in my early twenties, I hand wrote a letter to myself for when I am 30. I asked my sister to hold onto it and to mail it to me so I can open it on my 30th birthday.
Did it happen? It did. A week later.
The letter to myself made me laugh, cry, and reflect on what I had failed and accomplished in my 20s.
It’s amazing to see the growth in myself and how many hopes and dreams the letter had held.
It broke my heart a little when I read about becoming a writer.
I thought I was going to be a successful freelance writer by thirty and have written for noteworthy publications under the Condé Nast household. Umm, that did not happen.
The younger me had so much hope for what I call now a “pipe dream.” Y’all know how I feel about my writing: it’s no damn good enough. Even when I predominately write for myself, first and foremost.
Anyway, back to the letter—it also talked about being well-traveled, and well, that didn’t happen either. I have not left the country and have talked about this great regret.
But, I hope y’all know: traveling is a luxury.
Traveling internationally is also hard when you’re trying to make a living. When I moved to New York, I was making $30,000 and accrued a lot of debt shortly after my move. In case you’re wondering too, that is not a livable wage. Prior to that, during my post-grad years, I was trying to figure out life and birthed this blog, which has captured all of that.
I know I sound awfully hard on myself, and hate that I feel I need to justify myself for the lack of globe-trotting, but I realized that the expectations that I listed in that letter were not realistic.
Life has a funny way of working itself out and you, as a person, are also an evolving human being. So the things I wanted in my early twenties had changed and evolved, too.
Now as I enter a new decade (my 30s), I now have a stable career to fund these travels that I always dreamed of.
I found myself grinning in looking at what I did right and what came to fruition in that letter. Thankfully I did something, right.
“As far as health and wellness, you’ve mastered meditation and continued to do yoga and spiritual practices since your 20s.” I’m surprised at how well I knew myself then and the importance of a spiritual practice.
This one got me. I was kind of choking as I read it out loud to Mike. “As far as dating or a partner, you found a gem. A man who continually inspires you challenges you to be a better person, and have the same wants and needs as you do. A grown-up relationship.”
Throughout my life as an insecure young woman, I never thought anyone can love me the way Mike does. People made me felt like I was too complex and difficult to love.
And I’m not saying I’m an angel, I recognize all my flaws and I am working out my inner demons, but Mike is still here, showing his love for me every day. I’m just grateful to have a partner to do life with from here on out.
Then I lost my shit, again. I cried at my closing statement.
“By 30, you’ll have all of this and more. Words cannot express how hard you’ve worked and how fortunate you’ve been.”
The last 10 years flashed before me and man, it was hard. Everyone always say your 20s are hard and also the foundational years. I feel like I skipped out on a lot of rebelling or go that crazy because I was so fixated on the prize (whatever it was, maybe my own version of success?)
While any road traveled is often challenging in its own ways, I’m so grateful to be in the position I am today (and I recognize my privilege). For the first time ever, I feel stable in my life.
I have a career that I love, colleagues I don’t want to kill, an incredible life partner, family who have supported me through my ups and downs, and my amazing community!
So while I didn’t get everything I set myself out for, I’m still grateful. I am meant to be where I am today. And I have to remind myself every so often that this is my path.
Here is to our 30s, my 1990s babies ?
Thanks for reading y’all. Stay safe!






