Dear 11 year old me

It has been a long 10 years, Sameera. And life is nothing like you expected it would be at the ripe age of 11. You were most concerned with playing outside when you got home, and now 21-year-old you is concerned about car payments and graduating college.

There are a few things that I want you to know...

1. You will grow into a young, beautiful woman
2. School might be tough now, but you will succeed more than you know
3. Love, and romance will find its way into your life. Don't stress
4. Never sacrifice your forgiveness and kindness, these things will help you throughout life
5. Depression won't control your life like you think it might, you are a fighter

10 years ago you had a completely different plan. Your life was guided by your future arranged marriage and the things that would bring. In my 11-year-old eyes, I would have been married by 21 and dedicating my life to my husband and family. Now you are getting ready to graduate college and pursue your dreams as a writer and journalist.

11 year old you would be proud of me. Little would you know your life would come crashing down at the age of fifteen. Your parents would split and you would have your first run in with depression. It would eat you alive until you learned to cope with it. You would then forever struggle to have a good relationship with your father, whom was more concerned with money and control. You would learn what unconditional love means and it would make you sad to know that your dad did not possess that quality.

A few years later you would then be met again by your father and at the young age of seventeen and you would move across the country to create what you thought was a whole new life. You were happy about this change, until it became an everyday hell. You would then learn what manipulation feels like, and the heartbreak that would bring on bitterness and resentment. But remember, your forgiveness and kindness would get you through the hard times.

Body image would be a struggle in your life. You would equate weight with worth, until you learned thats not how life is supposed to be lived. You would gain confidence and love your body for what it is, and this would bring you an immense amount of happiness. You would learn how to love yourself more than you ever knew. You would learn that your worth is more than your outer appearance and that people will love you for who you are not what you look like, or what you have.

Remember, New York made you into the person you are today. Bad experiences create better ones in the future. They create stronger people, and smarter individuals. You are smarter, stronger, and more capable after this; trust me.

Always remember, your past does not define you, worrying does no good, the present is the best time to live in, and being happy is more important than any materialistic or monetary item.

I love you, 11 year old Sameera. You are one strong girl.