I’m going to sit right down and write myself a letter!
Do those words sound familiar? They are the title of a popular song that has been around for several generations. It was originally written in 1935 and has been on the charts ever since.
Paul McCartney of The Beatles even included it on his 2012 solo studio album Kisses on the Bottom. In fact, the album title was taken from the lyrics of the song.
It’s one of my favorite covers by one of my contemporaries of an old standard. I’m sure if you listen to it, you will feel the same.
The message of the song is simple. The lyricist talks about writing a letter but making believe
it’s from someone else – someone they want to hear from. The words would be so sweet, they would knock them off their feet. And the letter would be signed with love.
Corny? Perhaps. But it’s something we can all relate to. That longing to hear sweet words that make us feel wanted and loved. Words that make us smile at just how wonderful life can be.
But what if we were to write that letter to ourselves, from ourselves?
Isn’t that even better?
It may seem odd to write yourself a letter, but we talk to ourselves all the time when we think about it. Many of us journal our thoughts conversationally as well. So why not put those thoughts into a letter?
More importantly, why don’t we focus on words so sweet they will knock us off our feet and sign off with love as one would do as the song depicts?
We are pulled forward to think about the coming year and what lies before us at this time of year. What do we want? What do we need? What kind of plans do we need to make?
What might be a good thing to do first before looking forward is to write that letter to ourselves. What are you proud to have accomplished? What is making you happy? What have you learned? What do you love about yourself and your life? If we don’t know the answer to those questions, we need to find them.
This letter can feel akin to a good long gabfest with an old friend you haven’t seen in ages to catch up with each other. It’s honest and vulnerable. Meant for your eyes only. But a letter that celebrates the victories. Celebrates you and your life.
Recently I was reminded that the path to loving ourselves begins by thinking of ourselves in positive ways. When we respect and like who we are, love easily follows.
You might ask what you would do with the letter once it’s written. What if we address it to ourselves and put it somewhere for safekeeping? We can put a note on our calendars for a year from now to get our “mail” and read it. Now it’s no longer just a letter for today. It’s a letter from the past. A chance to travel back in time to where you are today from where you will be a year from now.
What then? My guess is we will smile and sit right down and be inspired to write ourselves another letter. No make-believe involved with ours. But we’ll still have plenty of smiles and love all around.
