21st Letter

 A good friend of mine asked me a few months ago if I would write a letter to her daughter for her 21st birthday, she will give her 21 letters on her 21st. In true fashion, I left it to the last day, Monday, to finally compose the letter. I spent a lot of time thinking about what to write and when it came down to it, it was a message I want my kids to have too. Anyhow,  here's the letter I wrote...

Dear ...

I honestly feel as though I know you better than I should, given I have not really spent much time with you.

However I have been spending a great deal of time with your parents. They are so proud of you. Everything you

do and who you are, they can’t help but share how much joy you bring not only to them, but also to the people

around you. You have a light and kindness about you, and your dedication and commitment to anything you love

and set your mind to are truly admirable attributes that you should be proud of too. 

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I might write to you. It is an honour to be invited to write a letter to you

on this very special occasion, your 21st birthday. Happy Birthday Beautiful! I hope you enjoy the celebrations and

that they remind you just how extraordinarily loved you are. Enjoy all of it! You deserve all the beautiful things that

come your way.

I was chatting with my daughter just the other day and sharing with her something I’ve come to gain a greater

understanding of recently, which is this. I have learnt lots of lessons in my life so far, I have learnt things that have

absolutely changed my life and helped me become more of the person I am today, which is more of the person I

want and hope to be. I could share with you the lessons I’ve learnt, all the answers I’ve received, but they won’t

mean the same. The greatest lessons you will learn will be  through your own experiences, they will be your most

profound. So what I want for my kids, and for you, and for anyone I love and care about deeply, is to learn the

lessons your life is trying to teach you. Some people don’t learn, and you can spot these people because they are

stuck in a cycle that goes around and around. It’s not easy learning life's lessons that are meant for us, no one ever

learns from an easy game. I like to think of life as a refining process, much like a diamond is created under years

and years of pressure. So be open minded to be a student to your life. You’ll have heartbreaks, and absolute rock

bottoms that will break you to your very core. But you’ll also have  absolutely magical moments that will take

your breath away and make it all worth it.

Two things I repeat to my kids often is that life is perspective and everything is relative. No two lives can ever be

exactly the same  because it is your unique lens. This is just one of the things that makes you so unique and special.

And everything is relative by how one chooses to view the world and their experience in it. So the significant truth

in these two statements is that we create our own reality, by how we view the world and our experience is our

reality and that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our own power in creating the life we want. Our minds

are extraordinary and limited only by our own doing. Don’t limit yourself, you are at the forefront of your own story.

Try to always spot the joy and beauty in it, it is always there whether we see it or not.

The other great thing I would want for you, is for you to always be true to yourself. Learn to recognise your truevoice, and it will always guide you to things that are meant just for you. Don’t live your life trying to fit someone

else's ideas of who or how you should be. You will be betraying yourself in the process. Granted there are times in

life where we will do things we don’t really want to do, but learn to distinguish when it is  worth it and when it is

not.

And most of all, work hard and play hard! Have fun and enjoy yourself. Spoil yourself, you deserve it and are

worth it.

I know we haven’t spent much time with you but your family are my family, never hesitate to reach out,

because I would be there in a heartbeat.

All my love,

Ardeth