The 5 Year Letter
My senior year in high school, my English professor had us write a letter to ourselves. The letter was suppose to talk about where we think we would be in 5 years from graduation.
After 5 years the letters would be mailed to our permanent address and we were to open it and see how things have changed or how we either met our goal or went down a different path altogether. I am sure that most people wrote what they’d wish to be doing in 5 years (Who writes that they think they will have an unplanned pregnancy or become a substance abuser.)
The time between the writing of that letter and the 5 years subsequent are probably the most formative years of one’s life. In high school you feel like life is over when you leave, the reality is that it is just beginning. So the thought of predicting the next 5 years at the time didn’t seem overwhelming or even difficult.
In those 5 years, I lived in 4 states and 1 District. Needless to say, I could not have predicted that. So my 5 year letter was going to probably be an interesting read when it arrived in 2005.
I had completely forgotten about the letter when my mom said that I got something in the mail and she would forward it to me.
I bet everyone couldn’t wait to open theirs and read it and reminisce about what their high school aspirations were and how they can have a laugh at how right or wrong their predictions were.
Mine had arrived back in 2005. To this day, almost 10 years later, it still remains sealed. Like Doc Brown said in Back To The Future III “…your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one… ”
Come on dude just open it, before your name disappears from the front of it.
Mine only had three words-
“Money. Cash. Hoes.”
Put it in the time capsule I’m gonna make. Let it sit for another 15 years.
I didn’t hesitate to open mine. I threw it open and consumed every word. It wasn’t about where I was supposed to be or what I had hoped for myself, it was more of a letter to myself 5 years later. I recall the assignment being an opportunity to tell your 5 year older self something from the perspective of your 5 year younger self. Mine was about the joy of my relationships with friends that I had and the appreciation of being an active person in life (not sure if that meant physically active or having an active and curious mind). I took it as a strong message about what deep down desires I had as myself 5 years younger and I found it informative about what things I need to do to meet those desires. Read it now while you still are young enough to make changes in your life to reflect the advice your 5 year younger self has given you. In 15 years, it will be even more difficult to consider your own advice and perspective.