A LETTER TO MY 8‑YEAR‑OLD SELF

 

Dear eight‑year‑old Dipsy,

I’m writing to you from 42 years in the future — just turned 50. Hard to believe, right? But here’s the truth: 50 doesn’t feel as old you thought it would or as distant or daunting as you think when you’re curled up watching your favourite cartoons with wide, hopeful eyes. I’m not exactly sure where to begin, so let’s just start and let the words flow.

You’ve always dreamed big — the kind of dreams that set your heart on fire. You believed that wanting something with all you had was enough, that life would meet your courage halfway. That kind of dreaming? It takes real bravery. I’m proud of that young girl.

I wish I could say everything turned out exactly the way you hoped.

But it didn’t.

Life twisted and turned in unexpected ways you never saw coming. The path cracked beneath my feet. I stumbled — more times than I can count. Doubt crept in. I felt small, overwhelmed, lost. But here’s the truth I want you to remember and hold close: 

I never stopped carrying your dream.

It changed shape, it shifted, but it never disappeared nor vanished.

You taught me to stay curious, to care deeply, to want to lift others up — and those parts of you still live in me. We didn’t fail. We just found a different way to grow.

You were never wrong to dream big. I’m still walking with that dream dreaming big for you, even if the path looks different now. Maybe, just maybe, it’s leading to something even more beautiful than you imagined at eight.

There’s something else you need to know:

Your body is nothing to be ashamed of.

That might not make sense yet, but one day it will. Don’t let anyone’s inconsiderate and hurtful words dim your light. Be brave. Push back gently but firmly against hurtful messages. And always, always see beauty and the queen that you are when you look in the mirror.

One day, you’ll have children of your own. You’ll guide them through life’s uncertainty. Be gentle with your words, even when you’re tired. And on the days you’re not — because you’re human — apologize, forgive yourself, and move forward with love. Remember how it felt to be eight — small, hopeful, full of wonder. Holding onto that feeling will help you parent with kindness, compassion and wisdom.

Don’t try to protect your children from every hardship. A life without pain isn’t real or possible. When pain comes, let it teach you. Let it shape you into someone stronger. If you follow the path I took, you’ll grow cautious — and that’s okay. Caution can protect you. But pair it with boldness too. You have the courage, intuition, and tenacity to thrive in this unpredictable world.

Be patient — with yourself and others. People grow and change faster than you realize. Everyone is doing their best with what they have. Perfection isn’t real. Focus on growing, because that’s where your real strength and power lives.

Pay attention to the quiet voice within you. Let yourself hear the stories you carry, and challenge the ones that dim your light. You love things tidy and controlled, but it’s the softer things — hope, compassion, tenderness — that will transform you the most and guide you into the person you’re meant to become.

Always ask:

Ask yourself gently, “Am I being kind to myself?”
If the answer is no, slow down. Take a breath. Step back, regroup and reconnect with yourself. Then offer yourself the same tenderness and love you so freely give to your closest friend.

Don’t be afraid to speak your truth. You can disagree with others and still be worthy of love. The right people will remain; those who don’t were never meant to stay. Let them go with grace.

Reach out when you need support. Your strengths will carry you far, but you were never meant to journey alone. The people placed in your life are there for a purpose — just as you are meant to show up for them.

Stay rooted in yourself. Don’t move so fast or fill your days so completely that you forget to pause and listen to your own heart. The relationship you build with yourself will anchor everything else in your life.

I could write to you forever, but this is enough for now. We’re fine, and we’ll keep rising—trust that.
You’re doing beautifully. Truly you are.

Take gentle care of yourself, my dear little one.

With love,
Your future self

Reflection

Writing this letter to my younger self has reminded me of something we so often forget we are always becoming. Every version of us — the child, the dreamer, the hopeful one, the cautious one, the wounded one, the healing one — they all live inside us at the same time. They all shape the person we grow into.

Looking back doesn’t mean longing for what could have been. It means honouring the tenderness, courage, and curiosity that carried us this far. It means acknowledging that even in the moments we thought we were breaking, we were still becoming someone stronger, kinder, wiser.

If there’s anything this letter has taught me, it’s that growth is rarely neat, and healing is never linear. But both are possible — always. And we owe it to ourselves to keep choosing compassion over perfection, curiosity over fear, and truth over silence.

To the little girl I was, and the woman I am now:
Thank you for surviving.
Thank you for dreaming.
Thank you for beginning again, every single time.

May we never stop becoming.

A Message to My Future Self

And before I close this letter, I want to leave a word for you — the woman I haven’t met yet, the one I’m still becoming.

Dear future Me,

I hope you are still choosing yourself with intention. I hope you have learned to rest without guilt, to speak softly to yourself, and to honour every version of who you’ve been. I hope you haven’t forgotten the little girl who dreamed fearlessly, or the woman who walked through fire to protect her peace.

I hope you’ve kept your softness — not as a weakness, not because life didn’t challenge you but as your greatest strength because you refused to let it harden you.

If life has taken you down roads you didn’t expect, I hope you’re still open to growth, I hope you’re still brave enough to begin again, to forgive yourself, and to release anything that no longer serves the woman you’re becoming. I hope you’ve created a life that feels true — not just a life that looks “successful.

And if you ever lose yourself, even for a moment — I hope you find your way back with patience and grace. Remember everything you survived. Remember the courage it took to keep going. Remember how hard you worked to heal. Remember how deeply you deserve love, joy, and rest.

Keep becoming.
Keep choosing.
Keep rising.

With love,
Your past self — the one who never stopped believing in you

My journey continues and I strive to move towards a happier and more fulfilling life🥂💃🏽🥰 I’m Just A Small Girl With A Big God🙏🏽💕 Mercy Rewrote My Life🙏🏽💕Mercy Said No🙏🏽💕 Grace Has Located Me🙏🏽💕 I Am An Overcomer🙏🏾💕A Very Beautiful Story❤️ Live in the moment, Laugh harder, Love💖 deeply & Celebrate more💕🎉🥂💃🏽🥰

 

God draws us closer, saying, “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love; With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself - Jeremiah 31:3🙏🏾🙏🏾

Love & Light 

Dipsy💚