Dear Me, I Want You To Have These 25 Things Before You Turn 25

Dear me,

You’ve come a long way. You’ve walked halfway the winding road of existence and reached milestone after milestone successfully. I couldn’t be prouder of you. 🙂 You picked yourself up every time you fell down and picked others up whenever they needed your support to stand on their own two feet. You’ve been a valiant prince/princess fighting with the dragon of doom to get to yourself.

So, before you go on to fight other battles, these are the things I want you to have before you turn 25 to make your journey ahead better.

1. Time to spend with family and loved ones.

May you be blessed with the presence of your loved ones at every step of your way. Keep them close. Don’t let them go.

 

2. Have your own person, like Christina & Meredith in Grey’s Anatomy.

May you be lucky enough to have that one person whom you turn to for everything and anything. He/She’s you. And you are them. As if there’s only a mirror’s difference in you.

 

3. An attitude to give no flying fucks about them pottymouths.

There will always be people who’ll come and laugh at you or taunt you. They’ll hurt you. But my dear, the trick is in closing your eyes and shine your dazzling smile on them and raise your sword higher in fighting the dragon.

 

4. Not feel too old.

Don’t feel tired, love. There’s a long way to go. And you’re only as young as your heart is. 🙂

 

5. A reason to be happy.

It could be anything. A kiss, a song, a dance, a pet, a dress, a car, a house, a picture……anything. Just don’t let everything become melancholic. Have a happiness keepsake.

 

6. The strength to forgive yourself.

I’m not saying you’ve not made some mistakes. I’m not saying you won’t make any. But you have to learn to forgive yourself for them to learn who you are and what you can be.

 

7. Enough money to spend on yourself.

Don’t let the money making machination swallow you whole. Earn enough to live your life the way you want to live. Don’t get sucked up into the hamster wheel, running forever, endlessly. Put a spoke in there and get out.

 

8. Your own philosophy.

Explore all the faiths of the world, or as many as you can. Form your own philosophy. Abide by your views. Don’t blindly follow something just because everybody else does.

 

9. An appetite for adventure.

Get out, live wild, live free. Do insane things, sing loudly, make silly faces, dance awkwardly, do everything, you stop yourself from doing every day. Take challenges, go to music concerts, get into a bar fight, hike up onto the top of the mountain and let out an exhilarating scream!

 

10. Enough chocolates to last you a lifetime. 😛

Gorge on them to your hearts content! Don’t let anyone tell you that they’re bad for you.

 

11. The power to wake up early.

I know you’ve been trying for years to master this art and you still want to. I hope you do succeed in doing so by the time you complete a quarter. 😛

 

12. Courage to look up into the sky and smile.

It takes courage to let yourself go, with no strings to pull you in myriad directions. Let your head free, face the sky, smile at the sun and exhale all the pain you’ve had to bear.

 

13. Someone who loves you for who you are.

Find someone who is there when you’re sick and coughing all over them but still lovingly wipes your face and hold you tight to themselves. Find someone who warms your heart with a single smile, whose touch feels like home. 🙂

 

14. A lot of pictures in which you are grinning ear to ear.

Take a lot of pictures. Of people around you, places, destinations, roads, houses and most importantly, yourself. A Cornucopia of photos that tell you how beautiful you look when your eyes twinkle with joy and you flash all your glorious teeth. 😛

 

15. The feeling of belonging somewhere.

May you be blessed with freedom. But don’t run away from something you belong to. It could be anything. A house, an apartment, a playground, a library, a wall, a train, the place you took your first steps, a place where you had your first kiss….
It could be someone you love. It could be you. You belong to yourself before anything else.

 

16. A Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara moment.

Go out. As much as you can. Travel. As far as you can. 🙂

 

17. Acknowledgement of the fact that baths are good for you.

I know how much you despise taking baths. Especially when they have to be taken in the morning. Learn to enjoy taking baths even when all you want to laze around like a pig.

 

18. Answers to your questions. (Well…most of them)

I know you have a lot of questions in your mind regarding everything right now. But I hope you’ve found the answers to the most important ones.

 

19. A Half ticked bucket list.

Make sure you’ve done at least a quarter or half of the crazy, whacky things on your list. I hope you keep wanting to do things and keep refurbishing your bucket list.

 

20. Enough books to drown you.

I wish there are enough books that line your walls top to bottom. May you never stop reading.

 

21. A Beer Pong Tournament trophy.

Or something that proves you have excelled at the art of being senseless silly. It’s imperative you do it because you owe it to yourself.

 

22. A Savings account.

Be careless. But care enough that you keep saving from what comes to you. A fall that is hard needs a cushion to fall upon. Cherish your own grown-up piggy bank.

 

23. Courage to fail.

It’s okay to fail. You learn only when you don’t know how to succeed. Keep your mind open and let knowledge flow through you.

 

24. A voice that carries through.

Have the nerve to speak up for what is wrong and don’t back down. Ever.

 

25. A big collection of quirky tee shirts.

Because, why not? You’re cool and you know it. 😀

All the best for the rest of your life. I’ll make sure we keep in touch.

With loads of love,
Your younger self 🙂

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