Dear Younger Me,

Dear younger me,

At five years old, the possibilities at your fingertips seem just out of reach but trust me when I say that one day you’ll grow tall enough to reach them. But not too tall, that is. I’m sorry to tell you that you’ll likely only measure up to 5 ft 2 and still need to use a step stool to reach items on the top shelf of your first university house. It’s nothing to be ashamed of though—even the most successful people in the world would not be where they are without first asking for help.

In March 2008 we went to Disneyland for the first time. I’m sure the autograph book of princess signatures is still laying open on your floral bedsheets. We always did enjoy flipping through the names at night so we could dream of the day we’d see our own name on a page like that—written with a dignified importance and read by people with great admiration.

I have something important to tell you. At twenty years old, my writing and photographs have been published for multiple magazines and publications. I post videos online and read comments from peers that tell me how much I inspire them. I am currently writing the first draft of a short story collection I hope to bring to print later this year. One day soon, I am going to write, direct, and produce my first feature film. When I sign my name on these projects, I dedicate each one to you, as a reminder to myself that some dreams really do come true.