If you are reading this I am somewhere beaming with slight disbelief and eternal gratitude.

Over the last year I reached out to over 100 people and asked them to write letters to their younger selves at the point at which it mattered. The instruction was to look into their past and identify a moment or a period in time where they needed to hear something that would guide them through that particular challenge or triumph. I started off with 12 themes but in the end the popular themes emerged and are shared here on this website. These letters are about self, family, motivation, love, pain & release, and everything in between.

I chose letters because of how intentional and transcendent they are. You as the writer need to balance your news in the past, present and future for your letter to be effective.

The stories we tell about ourselves guide how we act, think, feel and create our world, shared stories create opportunities for growth and healing for both the storyteller and the audience. A lot of research has been done on the impact of exploring intention, influential relationships, turning points, treasured memories and how this process allows us to connect with ourselves and others.

I am grateful that so many people were willing to look inward and share their stories and lessons with us.

Before we get too far let me tell you what this project is not.

  • 1

    It is not a self-help guide.

  • 2

    It is not a pity party.

  • 3

    It is not a series of stories for you to measure your life against to boost or deflate your ego.

  • 4

    It is not fuel for gossip or judgment.

Every letter speaks to the journey we make as we discover who we are and what we value. It examines what it is to live, to love, to falter, to succeed and to question everything in between. In asking the authors to hold a mirror to themselves we hold a mirror to society and in the unearthing and re-telling of stories we find ways to connect with ourselves and with others.

Thank you for stopping by. Every month we shall share letters from different themes. The frequency of these posts will vary based on the number of letters submitted for each theme.

As you read these letters I ask you to be present.

There will be points where you see yourself in the pages, explore that, and write to us so we can keep the letters flowing.

 

Sandra Chege

Hadithi Curator