Dear You,
I think about you more often than I admit.
The you who tried, who hoped, who stayed up late bargaining with the future. The you who stood at crossroads and picked the path that quietly faded instead of exploding into light.
I want you to know this first: you were not weak!
You were tired. You were learning with bare hands and no map. I remember You carrying dreams bigger than your courage at the time and for that reason, I am proud of you and I should remind you more often than I do that what happened to you, the silence of your hard-work and the storm that never ended that time was never your fault and you were never a failure. You made me the version I am today!
I remember how badly you wanted things to work out your way. How you believed that effort alone should be enough. That every setback felt personal, like proof that you were somehow lacking. I wish I could sit beside you in those moments and tell you what I know now: not everything that doesn’t happen or isn’t going to happen is a loss. Some things simply clear the road and teach you things that no school, no teacher can.
I know You didn’t make it there… but you made Me.
Your disappointments taught me discernment. Your heartbreak taught me boundaries. Your false starts taught me patience. The life I’m living stands on lessons you paid for in full.
I’m sorry you never got to see how strong we became.
Sorry you left thinking you were behind, when really you were laying foundations. Sorry you measured yourself by timelines and self-obsessed people that were never meant for standing next to you.
I want you to remember this.
You were never forgotten.
Your energy was never wasted.
You and your little self were never wrong to hope.
You were necessary!
For I carry you with me, not as regret, but as proof. Proof that I survived what you couldn’t. Proof that growth sometimes looks like letting go. Proof that endings are not the opposite of success; they’re often the doorway to it.
You rest now because I’ve got it from here.
And I promise, I’m living in a way that honors everything you tried to be.
With gratitude,
Me.
Acadora 