COFFEE WITH MY YOUNGER SELF
A little while ago I came across a TikTok trend inspired by a poem
by Jennae Cecelia where she meets her younger self for coffee and the
conversation they have with each other. When I looked into it further it
seemed like a great exercise in looking back and seeing where I've come
from, and where I've ended up. To acknowledge who I've been and how that
younger person's efforts have created the life I have now.
This is the original poem:
HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN VERSION
According to realsimple.com to get started you can ask yourself some of these questions:- What was my younger self most worried about, and how did it turn out?
- What would my younger self be proud of me for?
- What have I learned about happiness and money?
- What advice or reassurance does my younger self need to hear from me today?
- What parts of my younger self do I want to reconnect with?
- What would my younger self ask me about the life I’m living now?
- Are there any values my younger self held that I still honor today?
I figured it would be fun to have a go - and to let my younger self
know that all the effort, the care and planning, the juggling, and the
hard work would eventually bring so much more than she expected.
MY VERSION OF HAVING COFFEE WITH MY YOUNGER SELF
I met my younger self for coffee on a Saturday morning
It was the only time she had free.
I had offered to pay because I knew her finances were tight.
She checked her watch often
She was already thinking about the rest of her day.
She told me how well her children were doing
And asked how they were now
I told her she’d be proud of who they’d become.
She seems surprised by how relaxed I am
And wonders if she’ll ever feel less stressed and busy?
One day you will, I tell her
It was the only time she had free.
I had offered to pay because I knew her finances were tight.
She checked her watch often
She was already thinking about the rest of her day.
She told me how well her children were doing
And asked how they were now
I told her she’d be proud of who they’d become.
She seems surprised by how relaxed I am
And wonders if she’ll ever feel less stressed and busy?
One day you will, I tell her
It will come in an unexpected moment,
You’ll stop and breathe out a gentle sigh of relief,
Because it was worth all the effort, the work, and the prayers.
Life is good, your marriage is good, your family is good.
She smiles, but I see that she doesn’t fully believe me.
It all seems impossible with the load she’s carrying.
I just tell her to trust herself, trust God, trust the journey,
Trust that things will work out.
You’ll find your way to where you want to be
It will all be okay,
Things will get easier,
The second half of life will be better than you can imagine.
Trust the process.
You’ll stop and breathe out a gentle sigh of relief,
Because it was worth all the effort, the work, and the prayers.
Life is good, your marriage is good, your family is good.
She smiles, but I see that she doesn’t fully believe me.
It all seems impossible with the load she’s carrying.
I just tell her to trust herself, trust God, trust the journey,
Trust that things will work out.
You’ll find your way to where you want to be
It will all be okay,
Things will get easier,
The second half of life will be better than you can imagine.
Trust the process.
But for now, take a moment for yourself,
Have another slice of cake, enjoy your coffee, breathe…..
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Have you heard of the "I Met My Younger Self For Coffee" trend? What
advice would you give your younger self?
RELATED POSTS
BEFORE YOU GO:
If you'd like to know when I write a new post, please
click HERE for email updates.
If you'd like to comment but not here on the blog, feel free to
email me at
leanne.crestingthehill@gmail.com - I'd love to hear from
you.
And please share this post by clicking on a share button before
you go.
Your version is lovely. I'm not sure which of my younger self versions I'd want to meet. To be honest, I'm not sure any of them would listen to me!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd have believed that life would work out as well as it has Jo. I was so mired in just getting through back then. I wish I'd known then how well things would work out.
DeleteWhat a lovely post and idea, Leanne. It was great to read, I am not going back anywhere anymore as some of my past is part of my trauma that I am currently managing to deal with WELL and am healing! Have a wonderful week. Denyse x
ReplyDeleteHi Denyse - I like looking back if it helps me appreciate what I have now. I like that all the work and the effort and the commitment paid off and I get to enjoy the fruit of it now. I think we each have to do what works best for our mental and emotional health - and often being in the moment is the best thing if you're at risk of triggers. x
DeleteHi, Leanne - Both poems, Jennae's and yours, are incredibly inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing them. I hope your younger self took another slice of cake, enjoyed her coffee, and finally just breathed….. <3
ReplyDeleteI hope she did too Donna - that second slice of cake (and room to breathe) would have been so outside her normal reality back then!
DeleteHi Leanne - The line "The second half of life will be better than you can imagine" is so hopeful and something I think many people need to hear; especially for me, now that I have turned 60 and just started on my 2nd innings. It's easy to get caught up in the struggles of the present, especially when you're younger and juggling so much. Your coffee date offers such a comforting perspective and a reminder to keep going.
ReplyDeletePradeep / Time and Tide
Hi Pradeep - thanks so much for that comment - you summed it up perfectly. I wish I'd known back in my 30's that life would work out so well and that all the effort would pay off. It would have given me more light at the end of what seemed like a very long tunnel back then.
DeleteThis was a thought provoking post Leanne with lovely poems by Jennae and yourself. I tend to stay in the present and not look back too often these days as this is where I’m most content. I recently met a former workmate that I’d been friends with in my twenties and she told me that I hadn’t changed a bit. Outwardly I’m 4 st heavier (was v thin) with cropped greying hair (was v long and wavy) and inwardly suffered chronic anxiety which has thankfully dissipated over the years to the point I hardly recognise my former self. It made me think how little we know other people. You’ve done really well, Leanne, congratulations. Maria
ReplyDeleteHi Maria - it's so good that you've changed so much and that you've accepted the changes and feel at peace. I think that's part of what appealed to me about this look back exercise - it was so good to know that I'd reached a place in life where I was happy, secure, settled, and at peace - I really would like my younger self to know that all the hard work paid off - it would have been so reassuring - but, hey, we got here anyway :)
DeleteWhat a fabulous idea, Leanne! (I hadn’t heard of the trend). I loved reading your version, and especially liked your focus on trust. Beautiful post, thank you for sharing this. I’m not sure what advice I’d give my younger self but will be pondering this.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue - it's an interesting one isn't it. I just went with the flow and didn't overthink it too much. I feel like what came to the surface was a pretty accurate reflection of how my younger self would feel and how nice it would have been to know that all the stress and work would have such far reaching and pleasant results.
DeleteHi Leanne. I enjoyed reading your beautiful post this morning. I don't have a big desire to look back at my past self. I'm just grateful to be where I am today. ♥️
ReplyDeleteHi Christina - I like the idea that the younger version of me tried so hard and worked so diligently to get me to where I am today. I'd love to take her out for coffee to say thank you and to reassure her a little. It was fun to do it this way though.
DeleteOh, Leeanne. Oh, Leeanne. I absolutely LOVE this. Love the original poem. So thoughtful. Going to share with my daughters. Appreciate the questions from RealSimple.com to help guide us in writing our own poem. And your version is so perfectly you...reflects the peace you have come to find in life since your retirement. Oh, if only we could hold our younger selves and reassure them that, in this season life is so much better. Thank you so much for sharing this and for all of the thoughtful, heartfelt posts you write that somehow always speak directly to me.
ReplyDeleteHi Leslie - yes, you get it exactly! Looking back as a way of seeing how far we've come, wishing I could reassure my younger self that it would all be so much better than she imagined, and just appreciating what I have now and the effort it took to get here. Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful comment - I always enjoy hearing from you and seeing what you're up to. x
DeleteI haven't seen this before Leanne, and enjoyed both the original poem and yours. I'm not sure what I'd say to a younger version but I'd be positive about how well things turn out.
ReplyDeleteHi Deb - I love that I feel like I could reassure her that it would all work out so well. I remember how worried I was about how our finances would stretch etc, and instead of that, we've both retired early and we're just loving life so much. I think she'd be very proud of her input in getting us here. x
DeleteHi Leanne, We got home last night from our camping trip on the west coast of the Island. It was everything we had hoped - major zen and gorgeous scenery for hikes. Catching up on email and your email came with no content? It may be something to do with my provider? I easily tracked down your recent post online. Your words give me goosebumps. “… the hard work would eventually bring so much more than she expected.”
ReplyDeleteYou and I have talked about how our paths often align - I wrote an article, published last week in a magazine - a similar theme - I wrote it last Spring 2024 for a specific reason and added a couple of paragraphs last Fall - it is self explanatory. As I said, goosebumps how you and I follow similar paths and time lines.
A great post, Leanne! You remind me what I have been sharing with the younger people ( 40 and 50 year olds who are going through life stress at the moment) - ‘ I hope you can be in my shoes one day and feel all the good that is in this part of the journey’ 💕 Erica
Hi Erica - I'm so glad you enjoyed your time away (although I didn't doubt for a moment that you would!) How interesting that we were on a similar thought wave (again) on this subject. I know a lot of people say we shouldn't look back, but I think it's healthy and affirming to look back occasionally to see how far we've come and to honour the effort it took to get there.
DeleteI know some people have a very easy life, and others bring about some of their pitfalls through poor choices, but for those of us who put in all the striving and stress through our 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s....it's so good to find ourselves in a place where we get to reap the harvest. This third third of life is such a joy. xx
I always read your responses to comments, Leanne - some more gems 💕 This time I will recomment ha, ha. Have a great weekend, although, I think it is Sunday/Funday for you ... I don't know if you have the same term ...💕 Erica
ReplyDeleteHi Erica - just read your article - so much wisdom there too my friend xx
DeleteWhat a great post! It's very interesting and has got me thinking :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Nikki - it just struck a chord with me and I loved being able to look back to see how far I'd come and how relaxed I am now. I wish I'd known life would be so good.
DeleteJust lovely, Leanne, both the original poem and your personal version. I have not heard of this challenge. I may give it a go when I'm feeling a bit more introspective than I am today. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Christie - I have my introspective days too - and I sat on this for a while before I jumped in and had a go. You've got to be in the right mood, but it was so refreshing and reassuring to write it and read it afterwards.
DeleteLove, love this, Leanne - especially the part about trusting yourself. That's an enormous change in my life too, where I've learned to lean more on my gut and not try so hard to do what I'm expected to do. ♥
ReplyDeleteHi Corinne - it's strange how we have all these preconceived ideas about ourselves and what we think is going to happen. It's such a joy when we wake up one day to find out that everything is okay and we've come through with integrity and honour. Trusting our gut is definitely a key to getting here.
Delete