Dear Self

Hello Hello! Welcome to Tales of the Gray, the podcast for individuals adventurous of spirit and young at heart, regardless if this is your second, third or fourth act! My name is Nora Lunna and for the next 25 minutes, let’s forget about every day and have fun! Life is too short to worry about the little things. Have fun, fall in love, eat that cake, climb the mountain, ride your bike, regret nothing, and don’t let people bring you down.

For this first episode, the virgin flight of my own personal Enterprise, I will read a letter I kept for a number of years. This one is titled Dear Self. Do you know how sometimes you would wish to go back in time and tell your younger self “Oh ye of little faith! Go ahead and write the song!” kind of situation? This is what Dear Self is about.

I wrote this letter when I left my country and flew to the US with just a backpack and some books to my name. I left all that was familiar to me behind: my family, my church, a good job, the best neighbors anyone could ever have. I was forty-six years old, starting from zero. I had nothing. I only had $1000 dollars to my name. I liquidated what assets I had with the company I used to work for and moved from Puerto Rico, land of eternal summer, to Central Pennsylvania, land of the four seasons… or maybe eight seasons, depending on how long you have lived here.

Dear Future Self:

Believe me when I say that you are doing just fine! I know you moved to a strange land, with a language that you know, but it is not the one you wake up to. I know that in these parts of the world the coffee they drink is not the same coffee you brew dark, strong, and semi-sweet. Gone are the days you could just hop in the car and drive to the beach, a 10-minute commute. Gone are the days you only had to drive to your brother’s house and discuss politics and sports while drinking beer. But dear, not everything is lost.

Starting from zero in your forties is one of the most frightening things any human can go through. Your dreams of having a loving family, a home, some pets, and backyard barbecues are shattered, but not entirely forgotten. And while you build again my lovely, remember this:

Tolkien was right when he wrote: Not all those who wander are lost. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You might be in a foreign land, but that does not mean you will be not welcome. Relax. Find your footing. Get to know you. Dare to heal, love, but most importantly, dare to breathe, to live again, and be happy. Life is too short to spend it in tears. Watch the seasons and learn from them. Remember this: there is a time for everything. Time to cry, and time to laugh. Time to sow the earth, and time to harvest. Time to break, and time to heal.

When you read this again, pause, and give thanks for how far you have come. Not all is lost. Hopefully, you will be in a better place, your wounds healed, and your heart beating to the rhythm of your new home. Be sure to go out in the rain in the summer. Be sure to enjoy the snowfall in the winter. Awake again when spring comes and prepares to slow down once the leaves start to change in the fall. Remember that you are loved and protected, and you can still rise again.

Love, Me.