It’s June 20, 2025, and I’m writing this to you from Srinagar, Kashmir, as I sit watching the serene beauty of the Dal Lake and the magnificent Himalayas around me. So much can change in five years, and while I feel an exciting sense of what’s to come, a little bit of worry too, I hope you are reading this and smiling, maybe shedding a tear and feeling deep peace and pride too.
Personal Well-being and Happiness
First of all, are you happy? Truly, deeply, unambiguously happy? That’s my biggest hope for you. Not just feeling satisfied on the surface, but truly, deeply at ease with your choices, your journey, and the person you’ve evolved into. Have you been able to stifle the continuous noise of the inner critic a little better and let kindness and self-compassion tinge your brain? Have you continued to seek growth, or have you settled into a comfortable, happy rhythm that suits your spirit? I hope you’re busy leading a life rich in experiences, deep connections, and meaningful endeavours that serve a wonderful purpose and that feel right in your soul when you wake up in the morning. Have you found new ways to take care of your mental and emotional well-being through daily meditations, walking in the woods, or through creative pursuits? I honestly hope you are placing your own well-being above all in life, realizing how necessary it is for the rest of life to flourish.
Career and Professional Growth
In the career domain, I hope you’ve either flown in the direction I dream of flying in right now, or bravely, boldly taken a leap of faith into something even more fulfilling, something that really sparkles in your heart. Are you still interested in law? Have you made it to those specific milestones I wish for right now – walking confidently into that launch you have always dreamed of, or earning that gold star you have been wishing to give yourself for all your hard work? More than anything, are you still nurturing pleasure and excitement in intellectual pursuits, or have you found a new calling that speaks to your soul in that special way? Have you taken risks, embraced new adventures, kept learning and almost graduated school? I hope you’re still being challenged and engaged but in a good way and you’re somehow balanced and not worn out.
Relationships and Personal Connections
In the personal arena, I hope you’ve cultivated your relationships with intention and heart. Are the relations with family and friends stronger and more connected than ever, maybe even deeper as you all navigate through the always-changing way of life? How’s mom? Is she happy for what choices you’ve made and is she proud of you? Did she win that court case going on for years or is it still in progress? Have you made those new friends who really add so much joy to your life, adding laughter and differing points of view?? Are you loving the research project that this journey of self-discovery and personal evolution is about? I hope you’ve figured out how to be more present in those relationships, to listen deeply, empathize, and value people around you for who they are, not what you hope they will be. Did you reach out and establish contact on old threads, or strengthen existing bonds with common shared experiences.
Adventures, Learning, and Self-Discovery
Did you get to the places you always talked about or, did new ones pop up, totally outside of your vision, that shook you awake in a way? I hope you’ve pushed the edges of your comfort zone, embraced new cultures from all parts of the world, and, hopefully, explored life’s fullness ways I’m never able to imagine right now. On top of that, I hope you’ve kept growing and stretching in the education sphere, whether that meant via formal programs, reading books insatiably, picking up new hobbies, or by just observing landscapes in life around you, with a mind opened and a heart truly curious. Do you still play the guitar or picked up a new instrument?Sstart that new language, learn that thing that always bothered you? I hope you’ve kept feeding your intellectual curiosity and personal growth.
Reflection and Future Hopes
I must admit, there are fears too. Am I setting you up for disappointment with all these high hopes? Will life have thrown you some curve balls that put you so far from this imagined life? I hope you’ve wrestled with those challenges successfully, with resilience, wit, and an ever-present faith in your bright future and ability to grow, change, and strengthen from what life hands you. I hope you’ve learned how to forgive yourself for errors, celebrate your victories, and find beauty in life’s warts too. I hope you’re proud of yourself too, the way I am of me today, of you, and of what you’ve accomplished in being one step closer to that person I dream of being. I hope the dreams I dream of today somehow give you the right direction and the wavering fog of all these years ahead, but also that you have dared and chased the uncharted parts of you with the courage to make new dreams, new plans, and next steps. See you in 2030, Dear Me (and I hope you’re living an even softer, kinder, more joyful, fruitful life than I can hope for you now).
The writer is a student of class 7th.
