A Love Letter To Myself
Dear Kelly:
I’m going to be honest, I’ve been wanting to express my love for you in person but I couldn’t get myself to do it. So I wrote you this love letter instead.
I admire the weird sense of humor you refuse to apologize for. I love that you read so many books. I admire the strength you have to get through situations without crying. I enjoy the adventurous spirit you have. I think you have a cute smile.
Don’t be afraid to truly open yourself up to others and be vulnerable.
I am proud that you were able to survive 2017 and I want you to truly thrive in 2018. So far you’ve gotten published in a couple zines, started a podcast and attended some awesome concerts.
Even though you don’t always like your body, I love it.
Remember to treat yourself to some milk tea and books because you deserve it!
I love you. You are so valuable, important and significant in my life.
Love,
Kelly
You are going to live a full life. A life you could never have dreamed of.
You will travel the world. Swim in the Atlantic. Eat a beignet at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. Return to your roots and visit the remnants of a Mayan city. See snow at the top of a mountain.
You will find love. After years of pleading, you’ll finally get a dog. A small beagle that follows you everywhere. You’ll find friends in unlikely places. In dorm rooms at two in the morning. At open mics. In the bathrooms of clubs. You will find someone that brings you a shit ton of Gatorade when you have the flu. You will find someone that looks at you like you are the most beautiful girl in the world. But most importantly you will find love within yourself.
You will falter. You will learn that life is hard and the good times also come with the bad. You will learn what heartbreak is. You will learn what grief is. You will learn what depression is. There will be moments when you are in pain and will do anything to make it stop. But you will survive.
There is still a lot you want to do. There is still more you will do. Because you are willful and could summon the world if you wanted to.
Free/ Low- Cost Self Care List
- Long, hot showers
- Catching up/binging shows
- Visiting an art gallery/free museum
- Reading web comics
- Going on Amazon or Sephora and adding a bunch of stuff to the shopping cart but never actually buying anything
- Making collages/moodboards out of old newspapers and magazines
- Going for walks in the rain
- Keeping a diary
- Meditating
- Sending memes to the group chat
- Napping in the middle of the day
- Treating yourself to a mini flan
- Thrift shopping and finding something amazing and unique
- Watching episodes of “Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting”
- Getting succulents and learning to nurture and care for something else
- Going to the pet stores to look at the cats
- Playing around with Snapchat Filters
- Folding laundry while it’s still warm
- Eating ice cream on a hot day
- Organizing your bookshelf by color or alphabetical order
- Putting up posters around your room
- Creating Zines
You deserve to be heard
Your feelings are valid
You are worthy of love and joy
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed and cry
You are worth more than your production value
You are brave just for getting out of bed everyday and it’s okay when you can’t
You’ve faced big challenges before-this one is no different
Your dreams are worth chasing
Kelly Duarte is a Guatemalan-American writer and artist that’s really into pop culture (probably too much).
Learn more about her here.
See all her The Strange is Beautiful posts here.
