나에게 (Dear Self): Ownership of Story & Healing Journey

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

나에게,

LOOK AT YOU! Look at how much you have changed. In one month, it is going to be a year since you moved to South Korea! Congratulations!

You have grown in so many ways since you got here. That enthusiastic determined bright-eyed girl who first stepped off the flight last August is now a passionate badass woman who has opened her heart not only to others but most importantly to herself. You have learned what it is like to love and to be loved in return.

My love, you are learning how to accept parts of yourself that you have pushed away and hidden. Parts of your story and your soul that need to be healed. You have allowed yourself to be authentically seen for who you are by your friends and loved ones. You have watched those who were no longer meant to be on your journey with you leave. You have carried the weight of the world on your shoulders for far too long. Right now, you may feel broken, lost, and afraid…but my love, this is only the beginning.

You are on this life journey of discovering how to be happy, how to love, how to be loved, and how to be human. A journey that is going to take years and years and years to write, edit, erase, rewrite, and change. A journey that is going to have so many antagonists characters who will make you question, overthink, and gaslight yourself. But my love, you are the main character in your story. You get to choose when, where, how, why, and what story you want to tell. You get to determine who is your supporting characters and who gets to watch from the sidelines. You are the creator, the writer, the storyteller, and the badass main character who will get their fairy tale ending because you fucking deserve it.

My love, you are resilient! There are not that many people who have suffered as much as you have. Yes, it might have taken a boy to shatter your heart to finally get the courage to start doing something you have thought about for a year. But nevertheless, you are here. You have arrived and now is the most beautiful time to start.

So get ready. Grab the things you need. Water. Popcorn. Maybe a blanket or a cute orange tabby. Because our journey starts now!

Sincerely,

Me

P.S. Thank you to my beautiful sister Zoë Kim who co-created this idea with me a year ago. You are such an inspiring person who is constantly reminding me to embrace my power. I am so thankful to have you to lean on in times of darkness. I love you dearly!