To myself as an incoming college freshman:
I know what you’re thinking as you approach this new chapter in life. A new place, exciting atmosphere, strangers eager to meet each other, a fresh start with so many new prospects! Game on, right?
Don’t be embarrassed to admit it, every other girl here is thinking it too: you expect to find your husband in college, just like your parents did. Countless adults that you grew up around did the same, some even ended up with their beaus from high school. That didn’t happen for you then, so you’re thinking college will be your time to meet the Heathcliff to your Claire, the Corey to your Topenga, the Quincy to your Monica (that’s from Love...
Lifestyle
DEAR MARY,
With a moment of space in this wild and bloody spring,** I want to speak the words I have had in mind for you. I had hoped that our paths might cross and we could sit down together and talk, but this has not happened.
I wish you strength and satisfaction in your eventual victory over the repressive forces of the University in Boston. I am glad so many women attended the speak—out, and hope that this show of joined power will make more space for you to grow and be within.
Thank you for having Gyn/Ecology sent to me. So much of it is full of import, useful, generative, and provoking. As in Beyond God The Father, many of your analyses are strengthening and helpful to me. Therefore, it is because of what you have given to me in the past work that I write this letter to you...
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To whom it may concern,
I do not consider myself an oracle or a fortune teller, but I like to think that my last 22 years in Silicon Valley has made me more adept at navigating the future of the technology space and uncovering trends. Last year I predicted that companies with scale would control storage pricing and shove the sector into a race to the bottom. Fast forward to the present day; Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have thrown their weight around to do just that — offering unlimited storage as a part of their solution, which essentially renders cloud storage free.
Now, one year later, I am writing this letter to make another prediction: Enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) as a standalone solution will disappear in the next two years.
While Gartner created the EFSS category...
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Hi Dev
Congratulations on officially becoming an adult now. I know how relieved you would be feeling having completed your school education – which in any case, you did not like very much.
Before you start wondering who I am, let me introduce myself. I am your future self – 12 years in the future to be exact. No don’t worry. I don’t have a terminator-like mission to protect you or something. And I am just future-you, writing this letter to you while sipping a hot cup of coffee at 12 midnight.
I don’t know what you will do in future – may be you will do your engineering, work for some energy company, do a MBA, then work for a bank, etc. – I don’t know. But to be honest, I actually know it. But let life surprise you. I am not telling you.
But one thing, which I do know is that...
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Dear Petrified College Senior,
Before I go any further, repeat after me: It’s all going to be OK.
You may not think so right now as you’re grasping onto the final fleeting moments of undergrad and squeezing tight with both hands. Sure, you don’t want to give up the perks — the late-night pizza runs, the sorority socials and the no classes on Fridays. But there’s also something greater you don’t want to let go — your childhood.
But trust me, here you are one year out of college and you’re still functioning. It’s all going to be OK.
RELATED: Navigating the post-college world in your college town
Nothing could have fully prepared you for your transition from undergrad to post-grad, but there are some growing pains that you could have avoided if you knew better. Here are the...
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Dear Sexual Abuse Survivor,
I don’t really like the word victim. Even survivor has a strange connotation. And I’m not too keen on victor. None of those words encapsulate what happened to you, the devastation sexual abuse enacted on your heart. But we’re strangled by language sometimes–even writers can’t adequately express horror.
I much like the word BRAVE. Because it’s so darn brave to walk away from something like that. It’s brave to forgive. Brave to live your life in the wake of sexual trauma. Brave to hold your head high.
First let me say I am sorry. I’m so terribly sad that sexual abuse is part of your story. It’s not right. Someone chose to take something from you–your volition and your body. That person (or people) violated you. They used their power and bully persuasion to...
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Dear Me,
I hope you have not changed. I hope you still have no regrets. I hope you still carry a big heart and wear a big smile. I hope that whatever hurt has come your way, you have learnt from it, laughed at it, and sent it on its way.
Perhaps a letter at your end would warn me against life’s foes. Perhaps you would look back at my lost battles, my dips and trenches, my grazed knees, and shake your head. Perhaps you would say, ‘You shouldn’t get so attached.’
But let me let you know – I am happy. I am full. I am boundless.
And so you cannot say to me, ‘Do not get attached.’
That is who I am. That is what I do.
I fall everyday. For places, people, things. For moments. For memories. For little pockets of wonder in the jacket of life.
I tether myself to them with an...
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Dear Freshman Year,
Hi there.
It’s completely ridiculous how 8 months ago feels forever ago, but then again, just like it was yesterday. The only real reason I know this much time has passed is because I am a completely different person than I was when I first came to college. This is a letter to myself-to remind me where I’ve been and where I want to go, but also to you, whether you are headed to, in, or out of college. This is a reminder of what happens as you grow up, and all that you have to look forward to.
Eight months ago, I was a nervous high schooler majoring in Spanish Education in a big city that I had no idea how to navigate. Eight months ago, I was nervous and had no idea where my future was headed. Over these past few months, I have learned so much about myself than...
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Dear People Who Take Selfies,
Hi. Okay. So. What’s a selfie? Oh, you know. It’s when you take a picture of yourself and post it on Instagram. Or Twitter. Or Facebook. Or whatever it is the kids are into these days (is YOLO a social network yet?).
You take a lot of selfies. Yes, you. You know who you are. And don’t pretend you don’t know what I am referring to, because all your friends and followers and family members have seen those self-portraits you post anywhere from three to seventeen times a day.
That’s a lot of seflies. And girl, (or guy), don’t get me wrong – I applaud you. Considering that a lot of us like to spend most of our time on Facebook untagging our names in unflattering photos (or is it detagging? Have we formally settled on the word to properly describe “...
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Dear Me,
I know you’re struggling and your heart is heavy. I want you to know it’s okay. There will be times when you need love and support, too. We’re all a little broken and bruised.
You don’t always have to be so strong. You’re just human.
I know you’re exhausted and weary and many miles are left on your journey. Take time to refuel. You need that. Slow down and enjoy the view. Just stand! Rest in love. Did you know that takes great strength, too?
It’s time to start reaching out for the hands that are reaching for you. You deserve love! You truly do.
Never give up and never stop walking. March to the beat of your own drum. You’re a soldier with your feet planted in love. You have an army of soldiers at you six and your ten. You can do this!
You’re amazing! You’re...
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