"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day. And I believe in miracles."
~ Audrey Hepburn

4.08.2010

Dear Marcella

Speaking of class assignments...
One day in 10th grade, my pre-calculus/trigonometry
teacher instructed everybody in the class to write a letter to our
future selves. She collected our finished letters and promised to mail
them to us in five years. Much to my surprise, she actually did.

First of all, I promise I am NOT going to start blogging about every
school assignment that I thought was cool... so quit yer whinin' (HannahB).
I just thought it was relevant to share this because one of the
items on my Day Zero Project list is to
#052: Write a letter to my future self.
Reading the letter that my 15-year old self wrote
inspired me to complete this goal. I am setting up an email to
be sent to myself in exactly five years with my new letter
attached. Here are the two letters:

♥ ♥ ♥

15-Year Old Marcella to 20-Year Old Marcella (unedited):

February 1, 2005: first period

Well this is a pretty cool thing for a teacher to do. Ms. Solis, my trig/precal teacher, has just assigned the class to write a letter to ourselves which she will mail to us in 5 years. So, I am now 15 and 10 days. Which means when I get this back, I should be 20 years old.

That number used to seem so far off but now I know just how close it is. I mean, 15 used to sound really old to me. Actually, it still does! 15 just seems like the age of the classic teenager. You know, the one you see on tv shows and in movies. She's mature and loves spending money and hates school and hates her parents and has a perfect boyfriend and is running for prom queen. It's sort of ridiculous, really. When I was really young, I seriously thought I would be like that. Everybody says that life is not like tv, but you see this so much that you think, "they have to get these ideas from somewhere". Well now I am officially 15 and I am proud to say that I now know you can't predict your life or compare it to others'. Everybody is different, had different families, environments, rules and expectations. Two people can never be exactly alike. So when we set standards for ourselves, the only thing we should look at is who we are. Then it is up to our determination to see how far we can push our goals.

So what are my goals? Well I graduate when I'm 17 so in college I will be 18, 19, 20, and 21. So the Marcella that is reading this now is a junior in college. If the 15 year old Marcella could choose any college, it would be Yale. But let's be realistic now. I suppose I may be at any 4 year university. Preferably in California. Jobs? Well currently (2005) my sisters and I have started a business where we dress as Disney princesses and entertain at parties. I hope that lasts a long time, but I wouldn't want that to be my real job. I hope to be working close to Journalism. Where is the Seventeen magazine headquarters, anyway? Sigh. Probably somewhere in New York. But I wouldn't last there. My ♥ belongs in California.

I love where I live and I don't want to move. I want to stay at GHS. Well, I did. If I could choose I would go to a private school. Because I love the uniforms. haha I know, what a freak. But I think they're cute. But I don't think we'll move anytime soon, because we're doing construction. My mom says we should have a pool by summer. YES! I just gotta cross my fingers.

Well, 20 year old Marcella, I hope life has come to be great. It may not be what you expected, but, really, what is?I will try my best to make good decisions that will make you happy. Its kinda crazy to think that what i do and the choices i make now have all affected you and made you what you are today. I just hope its something you can be proud of.
♥ always, the 15 year old you.


20-Year Old Marcella to 25-Year Old Marcella:


April 8, 2010

Dear 25-year old Marcella,

If you are alive, that means the world didn't come to an end in December 2012. That is nice to know. Moving on, YOU ARE OLD! No seriously. 25???? People have families at age 25! People have careers! Lady Gaga is only 24!

It is really hard for me to guess where life has taken you. The years between age 20 and age 25 are some intense transition years. It is currently Spring Quarter 2010 at UCSB. My plans for the future include: one more quarter at UCSB, study in Chile for one semester (six months), return home, and receive my Bachelor of Arts degree in the mail. Annnd that is as far as my eye can see. What is life after college? Who will I still be friends with? How will my family be? Who will be in my life and who will not be? As you can see, the 20-year old you was very uncertain about the future. And if I know you at all, you hate uncertainty. So please have pity on her.

In terms of a career, I have two major pipe dreams. The first is a career in event planning and the second is a career in the film industry, preferably in production. Oh, and there is that teeny little fantasy that includes me opening up a little bakery in Pasadena but let us put that one aside for now (haha I love how different from each other these are!). Wherever you are now, I am sure you have worked your butt off to get there and I just wanted you to know that I am very proud of you. You are not a quitter and I am going to venture to say that that is one of your best qualities.

May 2010-April 2015 are five years that you have lived and I have not. I am sure you have experienced many struggles, triumphs, laughs, tears, huge decisions, crazy nights, and wonderful surprises. I really, truly, hope you are happy wherever you are, and that you still have many hopes and dreams for your future. Even though you are 25 and suuuper old, you still have so much life ahead of you. If life is hard right now, just remember how much you have been through. Remember how strong you are and remember how great, loving, and supportive all of the people in your life are. If you reeeally wanted, you could drop everything right now. Drop out of grad school, quit your job, move to India. It is not too late to start all over. All I want is for you to be happy.

And if life right now is good, make it better! Don't ever settle. Keep dreaming, keep exploring, and keep enjoying all of the treasures that life has to offer you. Oh and keep baking please. It makes you happy.

Love, 20-year old Marcella ♥

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

excuse me!? I may be an opponent of blogs, but I must say that yours is pretty harmless. hahahaha

- H

Anonymous said...

Marcella, that sweet, very happy, little 15 year old is still inside you :) Never lose your optimism. It's one of the things I like about you :)

<3, Lex

Ziad Ali said...

wow this is seriously such a good idea! you were so mature at fifteen i must say. its going to be such a suprise and wonderful experience to read this letter in five years time. i might do this as well, but the only thing is don't change your email adress haha :)
Thankyou for your lovely comment on my blog,
Pearl xo