“I begin this letter by giving you a round of applause. You deserve it.”

Dear me,

I begin this letter by giving you a round of applause. You deserve it. Thus far you’ve survived so many obstacles that destiny has aggressively put in your way. You are a warrior of life. As of 25 years, you have survived some notorious circumstances where you could have easily raised the white flag to call a game. Life was surrounded by emotional stress. Negativity was taking over my mind to the point where I got a taste of no hope. It was a dark and grim place to be in. You nearly stayed there. I can say you saw a glimpse of what the other side looked like and why some people take themselves there.  A place where peace is the only option and waiting for us on the other side. The falls, incidents, accidents, setbacks, and failures were not enough to stop you from moving forward.

“For a long time, it was you against the world only because things didn’t go your way.”

Remember when you were given that second chance at life. Yeah, you felt it, remember? The tree didn’t make it out alive, but somehow you did. Dazed and confused really saved you that day. It’s kind of ironic how it could’ve killed you but in the end, it ended up protecting you somehow. I’m glad it happened this way. The plans I had prepared for myself weren’t the right ones apparently, and life made sure I didn’t take that route. So, it stopped me. Oh, did it stop me alright? You lost your freedom to hard cold walls. I wouldn’t change that. Looking back at it all I literally appreciate all the events that happened because of this accident. I wouldn’t be here, deep in love with the one I can finally call my own. It literally wouldn’t have happened if this event didn’t occur. You know your life would have been so different.

You see now, learning is one great ability you have like many others do. And luckily for us, our 20’s are just the peak of a ton of new experiences, perfect for falling and learning. If it’s one thing you know about yourself it’s that you are not like the rest. You are so unique, and you’ve got the retaliation and jokes at your expense from friends to prove it. You got carried away by the illusion of what you were told and given, you put your faith in those ideas, and it took mixed emotions to learn the true intentions of the other.  But you chose to continue being yourself despite the heartbreaks, the broken trust that seemed to be playing on a broken record. Repeat after repeat. The point is, you chose not to give up on life.

“It literally wouldn’t have happened if this didn’t occur.”

Yes, you’ve cried many rivers. Yes, your heart has been shattered by women you thought loved you. Yes, you hated everything and everyone whilst trust in others went out the window. For a long time, it was you against the world only because things didn’t go your way or luck seemed to pass you by but like water in between cracks in concrete, you went through it.

But most importantly, you learned. A lot.

Your family, your friends, yourself appreciate this. I hope they do because today I am a rock, a shaky one, but a rock of a spirit and I know my roundedness is worth something. If not to anyone else, then to me. This is why you still live. Remember your strength next time you get in your own head.

You reap what you sow,

Luis