A Letter to my 10-Year-Old Self
Dear Dani,
Yes, it’s you from the future. I know that’s cliche, but don’t freak out! You’re nineteen now, and you’ve gotten into a really cool university program in Toronto that focusses on being creative in the world of sports. You’re really enjoying it, too, which is super cool since you just started playing hockey!
I’m writing this letter to you to tell you some cool things that are coming soon. I know you like to play around with mom’s old flip phone a lot and pretending that it’s yours. Just you wait — phones get WAY cooler. You can do much more than just call or text now; you can also play games, share ideas and make new friends across the world. That may sound scary, considering you’ve always been taught not to talk to strangers, but some strangers turn out to be pretty cool. (please be careful, though!)
There’s a new way to show the world who you are online called Social Media. This plays a big role in your life as you get older. You will learn really quickly how easy it is to present yourself to people on the Internet. You can post pictures and statuses to show not only your friends and family, but to strangers too. It becomes a big part of who you are.
Sometimes the things you post online don’t really show who you are. There will be times where you will try to be someone else on Social Media. You aren’t a totally different person, obviously, but there will be times where you try to hide the things you don’t like to the public eye. This doesn’t sit very well with you, of course, but you’ll eventually realize that you shouldn’t care what other people think about your personality or looks. You should be proud of who you are, and you learn that it is okay to show people your true self.
On the bright side, you make a lot of cool new friends through Social Media. You’ve met some really nice people in places like Vancouver, Montreal, and New York. Isn’t that cool? You’ve even met them in person. Social Media is important in keeping in touch with them.
You’ve made some awesome friends in university, too. Right now, you’re taking classes at home. In order to keep in contact with your friends while you’re home, you talk to them through Social Media. You can even video call them now, which is much more personal than talking on the phone!
Social Media is going to play a big part of your life, especially in your future career. There are so many opportunities for you to use your artistic skills in the future. With new technology, you can use computers to make art, videos, music, and much more. Stick with your interests — I know you love to draw, write and sing! They’ll come in handy as you get older.
That’s all I have for you for now. It may seem like a lot, but you’ve come so far and are doing really awesome things with really awesome people. Keep being the coolest kid ever, you’ve got this!
Love,
Dani
