Dear Luke,

I am writing to you because I am turning 20 in a few months and I have been reflecting on the last decade of my life, including the good, the bad and the ugly. I know back in 2011, life isn’t so bad. Tom Brady is still a New England Patriot, John Cena is still the WWE Champion and Barack Obama is still the president. Do not ask who the next one is, though. You would not believe me anyway.

I know you have already been through a lot, things no kid should have to go through, and I wish I could tell you it is smooth sailing from here on out. However, this is not the case.

The next 10 years are going to be really rough and you are going to feel like nothing will ever be okay again. While it may seem that way, I promise you that all of these experiences will make you a stronger person in the long run.

All of the adversity you are going to face in the coming years will shape how you view yourself and the world around you, as well as what it means to take part in this crazy place we call Earth. Not to bury the lede, but we are currently in the middle of a pandemic (a lot of sick people), so do not feel too bad for yourself right now. Things in 2021 are pretty messed up.

To say you won’t experience anything good in the next 10 years is far from the truth. You are going to meet some pretty amazing people and do awesome things. Making lifelong friends, learning to play the guitar and going to prom are all incredible experiences that I would not trade for anything.

Your teenage years, frankly, are going to be really hard. You’re going to find out some things about yourself that are going to be really hard to come to terms with, but I need you to hear this: it is not your fault and it does not define you. You have so many great qualities, so do not let this take over your life, because it will only make you feel worse. You are better than that and you do not need to hold onto it your entire life. Come to terms with it and move on.

As grim as this may seem, understand that life is never only good or only bad. Oftentimes, it is both at the same time. I do not expect you to understand all of this at 10 years old, but in time you will know what I mean.

Some of the best moments you’ll have will be during the worst times of your life. But I promise you this — the good far exceeds the bad and as long as there is breath in your lungs, life is worth living. Get out there and live it.

Sincerely,

Luke

(P.S. Invest in a company called Zoom Video Communications sometime before 2020. You will thank me.)