Dear _____,

Perhaps I was a bit too overly sentimental with my first letter. Or maybe not. I believe it was an outward expression of… something. Some sort of sentimentality directed outward… but maybe also inward? As I sit and think on it now, I can’t help but wonder whether all of these letters will solely be for you. Who is to say this same sentiment can’t be directed inward as well? Can’t these words apply to myself, as well as you?

I suppose what I’m trying to emphasize is the importance of turning that kindness toward yourself. To treat yourself with the same closeness as you would to those you are closest with in your life. After all, you can be “dear” to you too, right?

And in terms of these letters, the “you” I write to can change and will change. “You” can be… quite simply, you, whoever may be reading this now, at whatever point in life it meets you. “You” can also be… well, me, as I sit here writing this, referring to the me of today or whoever I end up becoming tomorrow. Because the backdrops of our lives are constantly changing, sometimes shifting in brand new directions we hadn’t anticipated before. And no matter where we find ourselves and how our lives change – for better or for worse – maybe words such as these can serve as a reminder. A reminder to be kind to ourselves, to be gentle with where we find ourselves in each and every moment. Who knows?

Forgive me. I realize this appears to be me rambling with pencil and paper. But I believe if I let myself continue – to go over some sort of mental precipice – I’ll be one fall closer to letting these words in, to giving myself that same sentiment I want to give to you. Maybe you understand what I refer to.

It can be so difficult, but all it takes is a gentle look inward. Sometimes we need to hold those hard feelings we keep in that cavity in our chest, and let them breathe. After that, the worlds we’ve lived in, the worlds we’ve each built for ourselves, suddenly feel lighter. It’s not an easy place to get to – life gets in the way with all of it’s little surprises and happenings that sometimes we forget to take a moment to be kind to ourselves, to just breathe in and out. But it pays to take a moment to stop and look at the person we’ve stepped into, to recognize how incredible it is simply be. Sometimes that little reminder is enough to keep believing in ourselves as we take the next step, as we become whatever new version of ourselves the new day brings.

I guess this is all to say that these letters will be for you and for me, whoever that ends up being. The “dear” you are or the “dear” I am – we deserve that sentiment, a gentle reminder. Especially in moments where we can’t see that.

Originally written 22-06-2025

Accompanying music: Walking by Modulogeek