Letter to Past Self or from Future Self
Write a letter from your past or future self. Or just make a list of what would want to convey. This is your self, so take whatever approach suits you. You might consider, though, talking to your self kindly, as you would to a friend or younger sibling whose development you want to foster. Think about the rhetorical features of a personal letter when you write (but also consider the fact that the actual audience will be your professor and classmates, as you’ll be posting the letter on OpenLab) too.
Knowing what you know now—as a reader, writer, and student—what would you tell your self of the recent past? (perhaps your pre-pandemic self, your self from the beginning of college or from before some other turning point)
Now, imagine your near-future self (perhaps from the end of the semester or as you graduate from NYCCT) looking back at you now. What do you hope he/she/they will say to you? What do you hope they’ll be thanking you for?
Or perhaps your past self has some wisdom or admiration for you. What would he/she/they have to say? How might your past self be of service to you now?
Dear future self,
it has been a while since we last talked which was during high school. I just want to let you know that everything is going well as planned, I graduated high school and now I am in college. I want to also let you know that college is kind of complicated because there are a lot of challenges and more interesting and harder topics than high, however, I am getting the work done.
I just want to let you know that with the amount of work I have put into my class and my education you are going to be proud because I was able to become a good writer in my English class and a good reader too. As I said before getting there was not as easy as I thought due to the pandemic which kind of pushed me back a little bit in my education and my mental health, but don’t worry because you are going to be fine because I was able to conquer the obstacle like the pandemic.
The fight is not over yet because we still have a long road ahead of us in college and our future careers (Mechanical Engineering). For this purpose, I am going to give my best to make sure that our future career in mechanical engineering comes to pass because I can already see you becoming a more extensive and brighter engineer already.
As I have said, I am going to do my best to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible for your future self because there is a saying that states that “the is always light at the end of the tunnel.” You keep pushing your future self and always remember that “Success Does Not Have Late Comer.”
Dear, Past Yuxin Jiang
I would like to tell you to have your mind on learning new things while you’re still young because it is easier for young people to remember things.Also don’t watch so many movies when you get home for school instead use the time to study. Be strong when going to a new school so that school wouldn’t have another teacher focusing you to get out of the desk you’re hiding and calling your father. However, after getting out of the hospital that you’re PS 36 school sent you too. Please do not eat the medicine that the hospital gives you because it is going to make you fat. Don’t cross the street when you see a car driving past because you will get hit by the car. Focus on learning English so that way, when you speak English really fast others can still understand what you’re trying to tell them. Don’t put your anger out on others even if you’re really angry that your father puts his anger out on you even though you didn’t do anything wrong. When having math classes focus on what the teacher teaches you so that way when the future me gets asked on things you should have learned I can answer it correctly. Focus on learning how to count money when you’re still young so in the future I wouldn’t be forced to learn to count money by my father because I can’t answer how much money there is or how much 20 dollars will make up to 500 dollars or 50 dollars that would make up to 500 dollars. Walk properly when you’re going outside so it wouldn’t involve future self which is me to have so much back and side pains. Learn to study before the exam so you wouldn’t get left behind when all of your classmates are congratulating for elementary school. Don’t sleep so late when you have to go to school the next day because that way you will not have enough rest for learning in school.
Hello future me:
You are the future me. I am you in the past. The past and the future cannot meet, but I know you with a letter.
Although you and I have never met, I have existed in your world, and you have not come to mine. This intrigues me about you and the world you live in, and that curiosity drives me to write this letter. Once I send this letter, I won’t hear back, but I hope this letter brings back fond memories for you. Let you recall the bits and pieces of the past, and regain that familiar feeling.
In the future, you must be happy, and you must be full of love in your world, because now I will do my best to make you a better you. I hope the traces of my life left in your world inspire you to keep moving forward. The memories I leave you decorate your dreams. The character I leave to you makes your character. The self-discipline I leave to you will forge your excellence. You are what my heart wants, and I fight for you.
It is my wish that you inherit my ideals, continue my life, and live happily every day. The world is so big, you should take a look for me, you can also forget the time and find the joy left behind. Every scenery is a station of life, look at all things with an optimistic heart, and the heart is like a mountain flower. There is so much beauty in the world! All the beauty in the world requires you to stand on tiptoe to fight for it. You have to believe that you are worthy of all the beauty in the world.
In the future, when you read this letter, you may be sitting in a self-driving car, or you may be reading through a holographic projection. These are speculations, I have no insight into my future, no way of knowing your life. However, I believe that the future is promising, and there may be bumps and bumps from time to time. I believe that you can overcome all difficulties and ride the wind and waves all the way. We can’t go hand in hand, we just hope we have the same idea and bravely conquer our own life!
Sincerely wish you all the wishes come true, the journey will be smooth, much joy, and long peace.
From JiaBaoLiang(2022)