Thirteen-year-old you would be amazed by things you now call normal.
REFLECTION
WHAT THIS MEANS
Progress gets absorbed so fast that it stops counting. Things you wanted badly a few years ago, and would have traded a lot for, are now part of the background: the skill you have, the people you know, the freedom to leave the house. Getting what you wanted does not feel like getting what you wanted. It feels like Tuesday.
Try asking what your younger self would be impressed by in your current life. Be literal about it, three or four items. It is the fastest correction available for the feeling that nothing has changed.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
What would your thirteen-year-old self envy about today?
MORE IN MEANING & PERSPECTIVE
- It’s okay if the meaning of something only shows up years later. Some letters take a long time to arrive.
- In a hundred years nobody will remember what you wore to the dance. They might remember who you were kind to.
- Looking back, the “wasted” summer might be the one where you figured out who you were.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.