Day 83 - Write a letter to your future self and stash it away to discover later.

If you could speak to your future self, what would you say? What do you want to remember, to hold on to, to figure out, and to forget?

Before writing my letter today, I did some research and this deed is actually a very common task to do, in fact there are a lot of high schoolteachers that give this as an assignment; you must write a five paragraph essay (at least five sentences per paragraph) and aim it towards yourself in 10 years. The purpose of this assignment is to provide a record of your life and who you were; to anchor in time your current views, attitudes, philosophy, and outlook; to explore your feelings and opinions about a variety of issues and to create a document that, years from now, will have significant value to you. 

Something about this deed excited me, it excited me to think about the possibilities in the future and what my facial expression will be five years from now upon reading the letter; and it excited me to think of my life in a time capsule. Just imagine writing a letter to your future self years from now and seeing how much of it resonated with you, the concept and idea fascinate me. In addition, at the very moment you are writing the letter, your consciousness is captured and stored right there in those words. When you open the letter in the future, your future self gets to compare how you used to be in the past and compare with how you currently are.

Writing a letter to my future self helped me step out of today and look forward to tomorrow, it also made me enthusiastic for things I hadn't allowed myself time to contemplate. When my letter was finalized, I sealed it in an envelope and placed it safely in my treasured memory box that I've had since I was a child. I smiled at the possibilities and also got to
clear my mind and think of my true desires in life; which I've never gotten the chance to do before due to today's fast-paced lifestyle.

Today I urge you to write a letter to your future self; it can be anywhere from one year, to five years, even 10 years. It'll inspire, empower and motivate you to live bigger, happier and more fulfilled. Not to mention, with our generations technological developments, sites like Future Me and Letter 2 Future allow you to type a letter to yourself and set the date when you'd like to be e-mailed. Writing a letter to the future you can bring suppressed hopes and dreams to the forefront. Reading them back to yourself on the appointed delivery date can be an extremely powerful movement; no one knows you better than yourself, and it's never more apparent than when you read something written for you, by you.♥

May your life be filled with the love and bliss that is always waiting for you within your soul.♥

Day 82 - Look into the eyes of the person you are talking with.

In the Bible, verse Matthew 6:22-23 it reads, "the eyes are the window to the soul"; many different poets have since used the famous quote including William Shakespeare. The meaning of this verse is that if you look deeply into a person’s eyes, you can tell who they truly are. 

Eyes are one of the best attributes of human expression because they can be direct and elusive, as well as show a million different emotions in just one look. 

There are many reasons why it is important to look someone in the eyes when speaking to them. Looking into the eyes of the person you are talking to shows respect for that person, whether it’s a boss or a friend, it reflects that their opinion is important to you; sincerity can definitely be felt through eye contact.

If you like someone in any shape, way, or form, eye contact is significant because it shows you are actually interested and listening to what they are saying. Eye contact can say so much and show so many different things, it can reflect intimacy, understanding, love, attentiveness and so much more.

I personally get so busy at work sometimes that someone coming into my office for a simple question can irk me, so when they do come in I keep on working hoping that not making eye contact will show them I'm busy. It's an awful thing to do, I know, and I didn't realize it until completing this particular deed.

Today, I made it a point to make eye contact with everyone that crossed my path whether it was the mailman, the stranger waiting in line behind me at CVS, a coworker or a friend. Not only was it nice to take a breather and realize that I'm not a machine made to work and I too deserve a small break, but it also reflected how good the person felt for me taking the time to listen even if it was just to borrow my scotch tape. I can't promise I'll always do what I did today, but I can promise to try.

Today's society consumes us so much and we don't even realize it. Have you ever stopped while at a restaurant and looked around? Most people sitting down are on their cell phones rather than having a conversation. Most people are too busy at work to stop and have a small chat. Most people at the grocery store or in the street are in too much of a hurry to acknowledge another human being. Be that person that makes a difference today and show people that you actually care enough to take the time and look them in the eyes while they're speaking, even if it is your waiter telling you the days special; I can guarantee you will make their day or even their week by a tiny little gesture that takes no effort at all!

"Basic human contact – the meeting of eyes, the exchanging of words – is to the psyche what oxygen is to the brain. If you’re feeling abandoned by the world, interact with anyone you can.”©

Day 81 - Tell your mom your favorite memory of her.

Have you ever noticed how a person's face lights up when you mention a memory of them, or ask them to tell you their favorite memory? Last night in my church small group one of the questions was 'what do you like hearing people talk about?' and when it came my turn to answer, I said I like to hear about people's happy moments, what they love; what they're passionate about; simply because when someone speaks about what makes them happy, their face radiates with light and their eyes shine brighter than the North Star - I can't tell you how much I love seeing people when they look like this.

There may be no love like a mother's love. As the first person you meet and come to know, moms hold a special place in our hearts. From reading to us before bed, tucked in all the way around like a 'butterfly sleeping in a cocoon', to kissing our boo boo's goodbye, mothers are our rock and solitude in an ever changing life. 

When I initially read today's deed, memories rushed through my head making me smile in disbelief that I could even recall those moments at such a young age. So many in fact that I found it is hard to choose just one. The following is my note to my mom:
Dear Momma,
When I look back on my life there are so many millions of little moments that you      have shared with me. You loved me, protected me, taught me and made me into the person that I am today. Through thick and thin, you were always there rooting me on.
There are so many things that I remember from my childhood. I remember collecting Disney ornaments every single year for our Christmas tree, oh how I would be so happy to add a new one to the tree. I remember the way your face shined whenever you received your favorite flowers, sun flowers. And, how could I forget you letting me turn your walk-in closet into a Barbie mansion? The selfless love and compassion you taught me to have for all living things, especially animals; there would not be one animal on the side of the street not rescued by you and placed in a loving home.
    
My list of memories can go on forever for how can you pick only one memory out of half a life time? But, if I did have to choose just one, I would pick the memories I have of every single year on the night before Christmas; in our PJ’s we'd go to the living room where the tree was placed and we would put out cookies and milk for Santa and grass for the reindeers. Normal children, like Danny, would usually wake up in the morning and run directly to the presents under the tree, not I - I would run straight to the table and I would be so excited when I would see the grass chewed and the cookies and milk half eaten that I would scream and jump for joy.

I cannot wait to someday have children of my own so that I can share with them everything you taught me.

My list can go on forever on how you made my life so much better by being in it, but instead I just want to end this note by saying I love you, I appreciate everything you've done and I can only hope to be half the mother you are until this day.

Thank you for the memories.
Love,
Your Princess

In a world where we only like to point out the bad instead of the good, the ugly instead of the pretty, and the sad instead of the happy; we never stop to really appreciate what we have, while we still have it. Today, I encourage you to write a little note to your mom with your favorite memory of her and just watch as her face lights up with joy. In fact, I say we make it a new tradition and write love notes to our cherished loved ones on a normal basis! 

 

"All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my mother" –   Abraham Lincoln ©