At the start of my trip to Bali, we were asked to write ourselves a letter that we would get back at the end of the month.
When I received it in the days leading up to my Bali departure, I was in the company of others and had put it away in my bag without reading. Today, I was unpacking at home in Dubai, and found my letter. It was wrinkled, the ink had bled (I got stuck in many a downpour in my final days in Bali), and something about the condition of this letter, a full 30 days later, was so poetic to me.
Bali, you didn't heal me. You didn't save me. You didn't give me everything I came to you asking for. But you soothed my soul. You filled my heart. You brought me closer to finding peace. Your sunshine brightened my darkest days. Your rain cleansed my wounds. Your spirit reopened mine. I'm forever thankful our paths crossed at this time in my life.
My letter to myself:
Dear Noha,
I hope you realize how incredibly lucky you are. You have been awarded a beautiful life with beautiful people and spectacular experiences and you should always reflect on just how fortunate your life has been, despite the bumps in the road.
I hope you leave here feeling more at peace.
- At peace with what has lead you here.
- At peace with your independence. Being alone is not failure. Love of another is an extra, a nice to have, but you need to love yourself first, to be content with your "aloneness".
- At peace with who you are. You have more power than you think. You are smart and thoughtful and deep and keenly aware of others in a way most people can't fathom. Always know that you are enough. Your voice has meaning. Your presence matters.
- At peace with the unknown. What job will you have? Who will you marry? Where will you live? You don't need to solve that today.
- At peace with your journey. Find happiness in your days. Stop always looking ahead. Find contentment and solace in today.
Let God take over. Let Him handle the difficulties. Always have faith that you will be okay. Be a good person and you will be okay. Always.
Love,
me
