Dear Ann Marie,
Your 30 day road trip seems to have had a magical effect on you. You traveled to beautiful places, overcame some major set-backs, challenged yourself physically and mentally and made deep connections with many amazing people. Along the way you abolished your skepticism, got way better at really listening to what people say and achieved the ability to refuse to let life’s crap get you down (even though you just deleted the words “ever, ever” before “get”). You gave what little you had when you had very little to give, you accepted the generosity of others without assuming there were ulterior motives, and you drank in all, and I mean all, the wonders of nature. You cried a lot of tears of joy and smelled a hell of a lot of life’s roses.
Don’t ever forget all that you gained on this journey. You don’t have to peer over the precipice of a towering butte to have the humbling appreciation for being a tiny part of this earth. You don’t have to slide off a waterfall and plunge into it’s pool of water below to experience the thrill of living. And you don’t have to climb a mountain to get the sensation of overcoming life’s struggles.
Don’t let these become fleeting emotions.
Take risks.
Take walks.
Take a break now and then.
Appreciate those you love and let them know you love them. Just don’t be creepy about it.
Be generous of everything you have to give, even if you have little to give.
Wave to the crabby runners you cross paths with in the street, even the hipster ones.
Run!
Smile at the checkout clerk on her first day of work when she takes too long to find the void button.
Floss.
Procrastinate less.
Write that fucking book already, you lazy procrastinator!
Don’t be so hard on yourself for procrastinating.
Call your mom(s) and don’t make her/them feel guilty they don’t call you.
Hug more people. Do it until they like it.
Pet dogs. ALLLLLL the dogs.
Try shooting some hoops sometime. What? You might like it.
Don’t assume every customer service rep deserves to die from some disease only idiots contract.
Accept compliments more graciously instead of making people feel like morons for liking your blouse.
Stop thinking your real life hasn’t begun yet.
Let things go. Don’t dwell.
And that guy you like? Do something about it…sober…in daylight.
But most importantly, if in two weeks you forget all this and start flipping the bird to slow moving pedestrians in the crosswalk, start planning another vacation. Immediately.
Yours truly,
Ann Marie
ps. Ok, so it’s a few days after you wrote this and you did do something about that guy…you were shot down ruthlessly. Ruuuuuthlessly! You’re allowed to let it hurt for a day, you big baby, but that’s it. Ok? Good.
Girl on a Ledge 