Dear Katherine,
This is the first time I'm writing a letter to you. Most of the time, you just make a mental note of the things I want to tell your active self, but this time, I'm writing them down and publishing them on your blog. You'll be welcoming 2014 in a matter of hours, and while other people make New Year's resolutions that they would probably break come May or June, I'm jotting down reminders for you, hoping that these reminders would help you create a year free of negative vibes.
This 2014...
1. Stop thinking that your friends and Facebook contacts are living a better life than you are. That you are an underachiever compared with your friends who have finished or are pursuing their master's degrees. That you are not saving enough compared with your friends who have gone to Europe, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and other countries for leisure. That--pardon the shallowness--you are not as pretty as your friends who post their selfies and OOTDs. Facebook is a huge, virtual stage, and everyone wants to be a star (yup, yourself included), that's why everyone puts their best foot forward and show their best selves. You may not be traveling to Europe, but it doesn't mean that your life is boring. It's just as awesome, but in a different way.
2. You may have fewer friends than before, but friendships grow deeper as you grow older. You may doubt if your friends from way back are still your friends, but you don't have to worry about that. Just look at the people who are still there for you, who make an effort to stay in touch with you, who say "hi" on social media because they genuinely want to know how you're doing, and not because they want to discuss a "business opportunity" (a.k.a pyramid scheme!). You may not get invited to dinners or night-outs or drinking sprees (uhm, you don't drink), but at least, you get to stay home while everyone else is braving the Saturday night traffic jam. And your dearest is always there to take you out on a date if all your other friends don't want to meet up.
3. People around you don't have to like you, and you don't have to like them either. It's hard to trust people, because you never know if they really care for you or if they're just waiting for the right time to stab you. Just maintain a civil relationship with them. You don't have to be friends with them, nor do you have to add them up on Facebook.
4. You may have stopped singing, but don't give up music altogether. Remember, you can play the piano. Your last performance may have been a decade ago, but it doesn't mean that you can no longer play. You know the basics (you've never forgotten them). You just have to practice and be confident and most of all, have fun. Give a lot of heart instead of striving to be perfect all the time.
5. You have a lot of things to look forward to in 2014. Look beyond your career. Look beyond money matters. Believe that God has wrapped a huge present for you that it will take you 12 months to fully open it. And as you tear the wrapper piece by piece, blessings unravel one by one. They are for you, so treasure them and make them grow.
That's all for now. Maybe five reminders are all you need to start the year right. You don't have to have a perfect year, but you do have to make it good. So here I am, hoping that with these reminders, you can have an awesome 2014.
Stay cheerful and don't wipe that smile away.
Lots of love,
Your innermost self
