A Love Letter

This is a love letter to 32-year-old me.

   Dear 32-year-old Elizabeth,

   Hiya, champ- how are you?? Do people still say champ, or is that like outdated like "bra" and "chief"?

   Anywho, I wanted to write you a love letter, because no matter where you are in life, it's something nice to get, and you can't always wait for someone else to give you something you deserve.
    I hope you are well. I hope you're working, doing whatever it is that makes you happy. I hope it's something that your mom will be proud to talk about when she sends out the family Christmas cards. I hope it's something that gives you enough time to visit your family and makes you wake up in the morning with a sense of pride and purpose; it won't make you smile, because you're probably still not a morning person, but that's okay. Hopefully, whoever you're with will not only accept, but love that about you.
    Which brings me to my next topic- I know it's never been your life goal to be barefoot and pregnant, but I hope you've found someone that can keep up with you and add to your happiness while possibly popping out a few little ones. Your parents might not love him (/her), but I hope they at least like him (/her), because like it or not, their intuitions about men (/people) are pretty spot on. I hope that with them, you feel invincible.
    I hope your grandmas are still alive to see you get married. I hope you kept your pact and went Paris with Sarah like you always dreamed about. I hope Cassie has the kids she's always wanted. I hope your dad and Sue finally tied the knot (and let you be the band/DJ at the reception.) I hope your mom and Terrell went on a hundred more cruises and took advantage of every midnight buffet. I hope Leslie returned safely from her time in the Peace Corps and that you're living close to each other again. I hope you finally have an apartment with a balcony that will let you have a dog bigger than 20 pounds. I hope you finally cut your hair as short as you were too afraid to cut it. I hope you know a 1,000 songs on the guitar. I hope you got your first paid writing gig. I hope you're taking care of your body. I hope you're keeping in touch with the people that matter. I hope you're still taking risks and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and taking what you want instead of asking for it.
      Mostly, I hope you're happy; incredibly, ridiculously, stupidly happy. I love you.

     Sincerely,
     Me