A Letter to My Future Self, Read by My Current Self

A year ago, I wrote a letter to myself (via FutureMe.org), and I shared it with you guys.

The other day, I was checking my email, when I saw it. Sitting in my inbox was an email to me -- from me.

I'd totally forgotten what I'd written. In case you missed the original blog post, here's what I wrote, as well as commentary, giving honest answers to how I did with my resolutions:

Kevin, 

What's good? It's been a while. Hope this email finds you well in 2012. I hope you're further along with your goals than you were when you wrote this email. Here are some specific things that I hope are true for you (should I say "us?") at the point in your life when you are reading this email: 

- I hope you're reading your Bible more regularly than you are right now. It's something you struggle with. You should be spending more time with God if you expect to hear from him.  

 This hurt. I do think I'm reading the Bible more. I absolutely feel better about my walk with the Lord and the energy I'm putting into my relationship with Him. With that said, I could be in the Word a lot more. 

- I hope you're dedicating yourself to being a good father. I hope that you've read at least one book on the topic. I hope you're not making Kim do all the work. I hope you're emulating the great role model you had in your own father. I know you wanted a baby boy, but if it's a girl -- Love her with all your heart. She needs you more than you'll ever realize.

Well, it was a boy. So, thankfully, I didn't have the chance to ruin a girl, or to have to admit to you guys that I did. He's only four months old, so I'm not sure how much of a role model I am yet, but I'm trying to be the best father I can be.                                      

- I hope your relationship with Kim is better and stronger than it was before. Not that it was struggling, by any means, but it's a year away. You should have experienced things that bonded the two of you together. I hope you're still making time for her. I hope you guys still have date nights as often as you can. Love her. She was gifted to you by God.

I believe that it is. Having Aidan and being parents together has strengthened our bond immensely. Also, we've both grown in Christ a ton this past year, which has been a correlation of our new-found church home, as well as the struggles we've had to endure together. Kim is my best friend, and I can proudly say our relationship is as a great as it ever has been.

- I hope you are closer to having employment that makes you feel like you are fulfilling your purpose on Earth. I hope your writing has taken off and that it's brought you joy. I also hope that if your writing has become more work than joy or if it has become a wedge between you and your family that you will quit and walk away from it.  

This is a tough one to answer. It really is a "be careful what you wish for" kind of scenario." Within the year since I wrote this, I was laid off from my teaching job, and I started my own graphic design business. It's been hugely liberating being able to work from home, but it's also been a massive struggle of marathon proportions. However, the resolution was to be closer, not all the way there. I think I can say that's a success. 

- I hope you're still making "family" a priority. It's important that you see your parents and Kim's parents on as much of a regular basis as possible. Tell them you love them. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. 

This has been tough. Really tough. We've since moved to Gloucester, Virginia, which is a good 30-40 minutes from Kim's family and from mine. We try our best to see both sides, but it's difficult, at best. Reading this reminded me that we could do better with this part of things. 

- I hope you're still coaching basketball. You love basketball. You love coaching. If you stepped away from it, try and find a way to work it back into your life. It was always worth the sacrifice. 

I'm not coaching basketball. When I was laid off from my teaching job, the school's Athletic Director told me  I was more than welcome to stay on as a coach. The combination of the pain of being let go, as well as the long commute, just made doing this impossible. Basketball season just began a month or so ago. I went to my former team's first game. They won. 

Right now, coaching doesn't fit into my life, but I really hope that will change, before too long. 

- I hope you have made progress on converting your finished basement into the "Man-Cave" that you wanted. This is a selfish one, but you should do this. It was one of the things that excited you about the house you purchased in the first place. Don't give up on this. You need this. 

I have one more couch than I used to, but it wasn't a purchase. We got a nicer loveseat for the upstairs living room, so we moved the old one down to the basement and put a sheet over it. I also bought a big screen projection TV from someone off Craigslist for $60. The outer screen busted off, so I had to wrap it with a shower liner to get a picture on it. Those are the major upgrades I've made in a year.

This makes me sad, but given the hard year we've had, I'm just grateful I even have a basement in a house I still own. 

- I hope you're leading worship again. At the time you're writing this, you're burned out on ministry and need a break from it all. Don't take too long of a break. It's a gift God has given you. It would be a sin for you to not use it.

Within the next month or so, Kim and I will start to be integrated into our church's worship team, where we will be singing and playing on stage in the band. I'm happy that we'll be able to start using our gifts again for His glory. 

- I hope we're closer to having cars that fly. It's impossible to talk about the future and omit "flying cars." It's not even really that funny. It's just necessary to include. 

You're right. It's definitely not even that funny. 

As 2012 winds down, how have you handled your resolutions from a year ago? Be honest!