where every story finds a home
Can you tell why the winners have to contribute 699 each? And also will the winners get any royalty?
Dear little me,
Hope you know how much you are valuable. I know you faced so many harships to create a strong person like me but trust me I am so grateful for all those sacrifices you did. Also I am sorry that you lived some of the worst days of my life. I am sorry for those days when you accepted all those comments with your open arm ,stopping that pain in the back of your throat. You did really well for not yelling back at them because they are not worth of your single word yet alone yellings. I am sorry for the days when you started hating yourself because of them but you again started loving yourself. Loving yourself is secret to happiness. Always love yourself because their words doesn’t matter. I am sorry for those days when those tormentors nudge your frame. You were scared like hell. You stopped your glistening eyes from shedding those unshed tears. And I am so proud of you that you regain your strength to stop one of those the very next day. Always fight back and make them guilty by telling them their crime. I am sorry for the days when pain was unbearable and you tried blade to feel something else but my dear you gave me a big scar and I really want to remove that. Never do this thing again because you are precious. Again I am sorry for that day when I tried to erase you but somehow you stopped me and a big thank you for that. Life is cruel but you taught me how to live this cruel life. Today I wanna say,I am so proud of you that you survived the crying nights ,the painful mornings and the toughest days of my life. I love you always and forever.
With love,
Your older self.
Hey, when I try to upload the letter it shows as “Server rejected”. I tried uploading it in .pdf and .docx but both got rejected by server. Could you please suggest what should I try.
Dear Kavya,
I am you from the future. I am happy that you have made through it. I know life wasn’t easy on you as a kid; and believe me it is just going to get worse. Physical scars were easier to deal with than the mental trauma right now. Your mother, whom you try to impress with good grades now, would still be comparing you with other classmates, friend or some random person from the building you stay.
I STRONGLY suggest you not to take Science after completing your SSC boards, because you would be burdened with high expectations from your family. And obviously when you won’t be fulfilling their wish they will label you as “LAZY”. It is nothing like Science>Commerce>Arts as your family says, it is rather Science=Commerce=Arts.
Just remember how ever hard you try, your family will only blame than praise. Even though you have worked hard and taken the responsibility of clearing the house loan partially, you would still be compared to your 4th standard classmate who is a doctor currently.
Don’t get disheartened. I am not trying to stress you out. I am telling you the fact. You should learn to accept the fact, learn lessons from bad experiences and move on.
You might think there is no one to understand you or support you. Well, you have your little sister; that very sister whom you tried to hit when you were 4. I am happy that you did not do it as a kid, teenage and adult. Today, I am proud of you that your sister is alive and you have cleared all misunderstanding regarding her. Remember she would be there with you no matter what.
My life was hell after 2013. It almost felt like I was dead. The only time I was mentally relaxed was during the lock down because of a pandemic called COVID-19. After roughly 7 years it was the first time I felt at ease. I got a few new hobbies, learning new languages and belly dancing, etc. it made me feel alive once again and I was so happy and stress free, that I lost 6 kilograms after being overweight.
Long story short, you have to live for yourself. You will always be judged or criticized. You just need to focus on yourself and do what makes you happy without being rude or hurting others. For us, life is like a battle field, you need to fight to survive. Start standing up for yourself because no one else will. Give up any suicidal thoughts. I recently realized that, it is not that ‘I don’t want to live’, it is rather ‘I don’t want to live in this situation’. So change the situation. Be physically and emotionally strong. Try to love yourself.
Everything has positive or negative aspects, but I hope you never have to go through what I have gone through and become the ‘Me’ I am today.
With lots of love & courage
Your Future self
Mili Lakhani
Where do I have to submit the letter again?