Letters from Younger Me and Older Me

After my last post, I thought a lot about how to become whoever I am.  I remembered that last year I had done The Artist's Way Workbook.  It was a wonderful plan for getting connected with your creative side.

EIGHTY YEAR OLD JILL
One of the exercises was called "Time Travel".  First, I was to describe myself.  Then, I was to write a letter to myself from my 80 year old self. A year ago, this is what I wrote:
"By sixty, I had finally risked dreaming.  I was afraid before that.  Jim and I have our quiet life, but we have these sweet little houses where people come to rest and grow.  I write.  I pray.  I have three tattoos (can't believe I wrote that!) I paint as much as my hands allow.  The house gets cleaned, but I mess it up.  I have these wonderful women that I have been walking through life with for years.  Jim and I travel to see the kids and finally have an inheritance for them."

And my letter:
Dear Jill,
You were so afraid.  The car, the book...living small.  You did it! You grew!
Bring Jim Joy. Be ready for changes.They are coming, but they are good.  You will be in an different denomination (can't believe I wrote that, either!) and you will laugh a lot.  Your life verses will come true.  You will not be ashamed.  It is going to be all right.  
Get more stationery and be ready to write lots of notes.  They bless people.  Even if illness plagues you, you can still be happy.  Love well.  Be your name.  You'll be fine.
Much love,
Jill

How striking that last year, my year on the couch, I wrote that I would be dreaming by sixty!  How encouraging!  If that came true, maybe the rest will really follow!

EIGHT YEAR OLD JILL
The second part of the exercise was to describe my eight year old self and also write a letter from her to me right now.

This is the encouragement from my eight year old self, who loved reading, ice cream and riding her bike.  She also loved books and going on vacation.

Here is her letter:
Jill,
Sit in the grass more.  Look at the clouds.  Ride a bike and feel the wind in your hair. Keep moving like this.  Don't forget to go to the library and be quiet.  Smell the books.  Don't watch life as much as I did.
Jill

Interesting...  Interesting that it takes almost sixty years to finally dream.  What a good thing to finally get there.  Even if it is in it's infancy, at least the hint of open spaces and hope; the anticipation that there might be more, not less, ahead in life.  Good stuff.

TRY IT!
Why don't you do this exercise?  Write to yourself from the future and the past.  Describe yourself as you will be and as you were.  Have a little fun with it!  You never know what might turn up!

Blessings to you today!