Dear 25 year old me

Today, you broke down and cried
and then you cried some more when you listed out the reasons why you cried.
here we are, writing to ourselves; remember you are going to be alright
Cry your tears, you'll be just fine.

I know you need a reminder sometimes
Especially on days like this. Self hate will lead no where.
Amiga, please remember to be kind to yourself.
No dejes que la voz en tu cabeza, en tu mundo, te derrote

Life is intended to be a struggle, it's part of what makes it interesting
You are a dreamer, an ambitious one at that
you have a short fuse and little to no patience
Like many others, you want instant results

You've got to work, scratch yourself up, show off your black and blue bruise
Bleed a little.
Tears and writing down your fears are just the beginning of the battle

You live in a world full of doubt
That doubt should not project what you believe you can do

When you are feeling ugly, remember to look at your skin
you are gorgeous
believe it, others see it
and I know how hard it is to look in the mirror
without picking at your flaws
raise your head up

When you are feeling fat, remember, it's progress
You know that magic doesn't exist
It's about burning the calories you consume
and consuming fuel for your body to run like a machine
Not comfort food.
25lbs seem hard now, take it one pound at a time

When you are feeling like a failure, remember what you were doing five years ago
how about two years ago
how about one year ago
tell me you have not learned along the way
remember you are like a backpack, and your brain is pretty much the internet
that your body (the laptop in your backpack) connects to
you are a resource
And I know it feels like you are just one person in this big bad world
and you fear what you do doesn't cause big enough change
it's okay, your time will come

take to everything with open arms
dear 25 year old me
breathe