A Letter to Future Brynn

Dear Brynn,

You know that Wizard of Oz book you had as a kid?  The one where Dorothy is at the bottom of the cover and the Emerald City is at the top of the cover, glowing in the distance, with the Yellow Brick Road winding in between the two?  You’ve often visualized your mental health journey as this.  You are Dorothy.  You are looking towards the beautiful Emerald City, with your sights only set on the city.  You’ve ignored the Yellow Brick Road and all of the scenery and adventure along the way.  You’ve seen the Emerald City as a destination to reach, without really paying attention to how you get there.

Brynn, your mental health isn’t like this.  There isn’t a utopian, sparkly world waiting for you.  There isn’t an ultimate destination.  There is only a road to follow, a road that you won’t reach the end to, and honestly, you don’t really want to reach the end.  You want to just walk on the road, one foot in front of the other.  You want to look at the trees and flowers around you.  You want to meet the munchkins and sing and dance with them.  You want to meet inspiring and encouraging people like Glinda the Good Witch, and quirky and imperfect but GOOD and loving people like the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion.  You want to navigate through the creepy forest and the winged monkeys without running away from them or hiding from them.  You want to confront the Wicked Witch of the West and tell her she doesn’t scare you, and she won’t win in the end.

You live in the moment.  You are mindful about your feelings and thoughts.  You are curious about your behaviors and thoughts.  You are honest about your feelings and thoughts.  You are gentle with yourself because you know you deserve it.  Self-compassion is a driving force in your life.  You lead all interactions with compassion, kindness, and respect towards others and yourself.  You move your body every day because you love it.  You have healthy boundaries with your family, partner, friends, and yourself. You see your nephew and niece frequently to hang out with them and spend quality time with them because they are your biggest loves.  You don’t feel guilty when you volunteer, when you read, when you see your friends, when you craft, when you sing.  You have fallen in love with being present in your life, because no longer are you looking only towards the Emerald City, but you are walking on the Yellow Brick Road step by step.  If you need to slow down, to turn around, to take the left fork vs the right, if you want to run for a bit...all of that is okay, because you listen to your body and you are gentle with your brain.  You know how to cope with your feelings in healthy ways and you are grateful that the people in your life support you wholly.

You’re going to be okay, Brynn.  Be kind to yourself.  You really are enough.

So put on your ruby slippers and start walking.

Love,

Brynn