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letter to my future self

Letter to my future self

Posted on November 2, 2020October 16, 2022

I don’t have my future planned out in every detail for the coming years. Yet, I do have an image in my head of what my life looks like when I’m around 40 years old. I have a lot of goals in my life which I’m actively working towards and enjoy at the same time. This gives me strength in a funny way. Maybe it’s about knowing everything is going to be fine and that my life has a purpose. I suppose it is. Today I want to capture this image I have in my head and write it all down. As a letter to my future self. And then, when I’m 40, I can read it and see whether I was right (or not, which is probably okay too). In all honesty and maybe a little bit of craziness (dream big they say, right?) too. Here’s a letter to future self.

Letter to my Future Self in 2038.

Dear Romee,

I hope you’re as sincerely happy as I am today, at 22 years old. It must be weird reading this since my life and views change a lot. I hope they’re still focussed on compassion, like they are today. There’re a few of my characteristics that I hope you still have. I hope you are still learning in every single way. Reading books, watching documentaries, listening to peoples stories and hoping to change the world. I hope you still are optimistic about the human race and I mostly hope you’re still an activist in any type of way, if necessary. Fighting for positive changes, to make life on earth better. I also hope you’re still maintaining your personal growth. Keep learning and be humble.

By now, at age 40, I figured this is what your life looks like. You still maintained an eco-positive lifestyle. Living within the earths boundaries, this is your basis. You live in a small house. Not a tiny house, but a small house around 40 to 60 m2. Just as much space as I needed when I was a student living together with Casper in that apartment in Groningen. About Casper, I hope you’re still together, after about 23 years. But only if you’re both still happy. Anyhow, about that house. The house is small, entirely built out of repurposed materials and climate neutral. You even produce more energy, climate positive so to say! The house is small, but the land around it is huge. So big that you can’t see any neighbors. That’s because you own an animal sanctuary. You save animals regularly (from slaughter, euthanasia or if they were abandoned), so that they can have a good, long and happy life in the sanctuary. Meanwhile, you also foster some animals (mostly cats and dogs). To give them a good stay until they’ve found a happy home somewhere else. You also use the land to strengthen biodiversity, with many flowers, vegetables, insects and more. It will be a heaven on earth for biodiversity, but also a food forest for you to harvest food to feed your family. It won’t be too far away from a big city, so that everything is still accessible (probably by public transportation or maybe an electrical car).

What this family looks like is still uncertain for me at the age of 22. I think I want a big family and so maybe the house has the get a few extra layers on top (or some extra small houses on the land we own). A big household seems amazing right now, but who knows. 6 persons, 8 persons? That does not mean it will be Casper and I with many kids for sure. I really hope that when my parents are old and can’t take care of theirselves any longer, they’ll live with us. This probably won’t happen at age 40, but maybe at 50 or 60! Right now, I would like for you to be a foster parent too. Helping kids stabilize by giving them a loving home is something I see myself doing. Same goes with adopting children (I realize that this is not easy and it comes with many difficulties. There are scandals of children being takes away from their parents illegally and if the adoption parents have very differently ethnicity than the kids, their identity can be disrupted). I hope that we can figure out a way to adopt in a healthy way, maybe Dutch kids. I hope that your family life is good. Not much tv and social media. But more focussed on personal growth, joy and the animals in the sanctuary as well. Making time for each other is most important.

I hope to pursue a job besides the animal sanctuary still (as I would have done so far). Part time. For now there are two things I hope you have: a career in politics or in governance for a big corporation with a beautiful purpose. Even though I know there is not much time in one week, I hope you also play an instrument, posts blogposts and videos and volunteer if possible.

About that volunteering. I hope you are changing things for the better in The Netherlands by your career and the sanctuary. But if that isn’t working out or isn’t where it should be, I hope you’re still an activist. I wish for the world in 2038 to be 100% equal, just and at peace. But I realize that this is unfortunately not realistic. This means you still are an activist. On a public level, marching the streets and raising awareness. About intersectional feminism, human rights, animal rights or any type or injustice. But also on a personal level. Giving shelter to homeless people in those extra houses on your property. Or organizing big vegan dinners for people in need. You are also donating a chunk of your income to charities like I am doing today.

In previous years I would have traveled the world with Casper (who I hope to be the love of my life). In a sustainable way, preferably in an electric van or by train. And if it’s possible, I hope you have lived in different countries for about a year each. A year in New Sealand, a year in The United States or a year in Peru. Right now, I don’t have specific countries in mind. I hope to go wherever life will take me. Also, I hope you have never stopped learning meanwhile. I hope you have several master degrees. Having them done full-time or while you already had a job. I just love studying so much right now, I hope you still do. I also hope you are almost financially independent (FIRE), preferably by age 50. As I said before, that doesn’t mean you would stop working. It would be ideal if you have enough time to go out regularly still. On road trips with your friends (I hope to still have the friends I have now, or maybe more!) or Casper or both. I hope to attend festivals and concerts and go out for dinner or lunch sometimes still.

I know this all sounds crazy and surrealistic (well, there’re only so many hours in one week). But these were my dreams back in 2020 and I’m curious to see which parts have come true.

Yours sincerely,
Romee (in 2020)

1 thought on “Letter to my future self”

  1. Pingback: Adopting/Fostering Children | When A Teen Goes Green

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ABOUT ME

 

when a teen goes green

Hi! My name is Romee Hoeksma and I am on a journey to an eco-positive life. An eco-positive lifestyle is a lifestyle in which I have a more positive than negative impact on the beautiful planet earth. On this blog you can follow my journey to a life with only positive impact. At this blog you can find all sorts of things, from tips to recipes to personal experiences, but most of all fun (I hope!). I write about how I want to change the world, but don’t look at it as if I’m judging you. If anything, I like responses from my dear readers the most, so don’t hesitate to contact me or respond to any of my posts!

Yours sincerely,
Romee

Here’s what I posted most recently

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Oké, ik weet niet waarom ik dacht dat deze overgangen mooi zouden worden 😂. Ik post het toch maar, want ik vond het te grappig en tja, alle outfits zijn wel echt 100% tweedehands.. De afgelopen jaren heb ik geleerd hoe ik met weinig tot geen olie lekkere gerechten op tafel kan zetten (helemaal plantaardig uiteraard) 🌯. Weten hoe en waarom ik dat doe? Ik schreef er een artikel over die je nu kan vinden via de link in mijn bio. Dit is al het vegan eten wat ik at in Bratislava, Slowakije 🇸🇰. De stad heeft me verbaasd, want er zijn echt veel vegan restaurants. Moet je er 1 kiezen? Ga dan voor Balans Bistro, die is echt het beste. Vandaag maakte in voor het eerst sinds in veganistisch leef (6 jaar) weer eens quiche! Want ik kon nooit echt een simpel receptje vinden voor vegan quiche en dat schrok me af. Tot vandaag, want ik vond een recept van de Albert Heijn, met vegan kookroom en vegan ei van Plant B die ze sinds dit jaar verkopen. Op deze manier is het echt een makkie en quiche is dan ook zeker toegevoegd aan mijn kookportfolio! Ik ga dit vaker maken, en ook verschillende varianten. Het is zó makkelijk, maar wel heel lekker. Vandaag zat er eigenlijk alleen broccoli in, maar ik ben benieuwd naar wat nog meer mogelijk is. Vegan spekjes lijken me er bijvoorbeeld heerlijk in! 🥓 Als je gaat wandelen/hiken, kan je heel makkelijk positieve impact maken! Neem een klein zakje of tasje mee en raap al het afval wat je tegen komt op: easy peasy 🚮. Vandaag verscheen het laatste artikel op mijn blog over onze interrail avonturen. Je leest over hoe we met de trein van Kopenhagen terug naar Amsterdam reisden met de trein 🚃. De foto past er niet echt bij haha, hier ben ik namelijk aan het genieten van een vegan milkshake (met herbruikbaar rietje!) in Warschau, maar ach. Ik ben van mening dat je niet ver hoeft te reizen om mooie dingen te zien. Europa is prachtig! Dit is Boheems Zwitserland in Tsjechië 🇨🇿. Ik schrijf nog altijd over mijn interrail in september. Vandaag staat een verslag op mijn blog over reisdag 5 van de interrail: de treinreis van Warschau naar Kopenhagen. En als ik zo door de foto’s heen scrol mis ik de interrail toch wel een beetje! 🚃 Dit zijn 3 vegan hotspots in Dresden die ik zou aanraden 🌱. Moet je er 1 kiezen? Ga voor Der Dicke Schmidt, jeetje wat was dat goed.

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  • Why I do not participate in lotteries
  • Cooking without oil
  • A list of all animal sanctuaries around the world
  • Copenhagen to Amsterdam by train
  • Warsaw to Copenhagen by train

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