Dear Hope,

Today I am stepping away from my usual format to try something a little different.  I have read that if we could talk to ourselves the way we would talk to a friend, it can quiet that inner critic that lives in all of us.  So today, I am going to write an open letter to myself.

Dear Hope,

Congratulations!  You did something you weren't sure you could do.  You packed up and moved away from all that you knew for so long.  Proof that you are braver than you think.

I know that your time in a new place has come with some struggles.  Take heart.  Struggles are part of life, they will happen wherever you are.  And life doesn't ever happen the way we think it will.  Usually it turns out better.  Life is always more succinct in retrospect, so try to embrace instead of deny the uncertainty that each day can bring.  For it's in the arms of uncertainty that life truly unfolds.

Remember to laugh, Hope.  That is the medicine for the soul that no money can buy.  Laugh at yourself, laugh with others, laugh at sweet Jak when he turns around 7 times, flops down and then jumps back up because he landed on his Kong that he was trying to avoid in the first place.

Believe that delays are not denials.  Things unfold as they should and as you've seen time and time again the slightest shift in circumstances or perspective can make a mountain of difference.  Believe also in your self worth.  You are kind and caring, smart and pretty and bring a healthy outlook of the world to yourself and others.  Don't hide who you are or conform.  Share it with the world.

You have a wonderful support system around you, don't be afraid to lean into it when you're having a hard time.  And be sure also to reach out to them when times are good.  Appreciating and sharing with others is part of the circle that makes a support system work.  You try to be the friend that is always there for others, allow them be there for you too. 

Smile, kid.  You're doing better with all this than you let yourself think.  Sure you've had some stumbles but it's not about how we fall down, it's about how we get back up.  There is no success without failure.

Keep on keeping on.  You're doing great.
Peace & Love,
Me