Chapter 3 — When Things ChangeFuture me,Right now, I am still learning how to accept change.I like familiar things.I like knowing where everything is, how the day will go, and what to expect tomorrow.When something changes suddenly, I feel a little lost, like someone moved all the furniture in my life without asking me.I am not against change.I know life is made of changes.But I still need time to adjust when they come.If someone leaves, I miss them more than I thought I would.If my routine breaks, I feel uncomfortable until I can find a new one.If plans fall apart, I spend hours thinking about how they should have gone.I am trying to be better at this.I remind myself that change is the only reason we grow.Without change, we stay in one place forever.I remind myself that every good thing in my life once began as something new, something different, something I wasn’t sure about at first.Future me, I expect you to be braver with change than I am right now.I expect you to walk into new situations without wishing for the old ones.I expect you to see possibilities before you see problems.I expect you to trust that even when something ends, something else is beginning — even if you can’t see it yet.Right now, I sometimes look back too much.I replay old days, old conversations, old choices.But I want you to look forward more than you look back.I want you to use the past only as a lesson, not as a home.Because the past is not a place to live — it’s a place to visit, learn from, and leave again.Change is not always comfortable, but it is always a teacher.It teaches you who you are when the ground shifts.It shows you what really matters, because when things change, only the important things stay.Future me, I hope you don’t hold on too tightly to things that are ready to move on.I hope you don’t fear starting over.I hope you know that sometimes, the new door you are afraid to open is the one that will lead to your best days.I know that even in your time, you will still feel the discomfort of change — because it never becomes completely easy.But I hope you will welcome it instead of fighting it.I hope you will walk into it like an old friend, knowing it will take you somewhere you could never reach by staying still.Remember, I am the one who is taking the first steps now — the small risks, the little adjustments, the moments of letting go.I am showing you that even when my voice shakes, I still say yes to something new.Even when I don’t know the ending, I still take the beginning.So when you are there, living the life I am building for you, remember me.Remember that I was the me who was scared of change, but still opened the door.I was the me who left the safe path for the better one.I was the me who gave you a life worth having — not by keeping everything the same, but by letting it change.And when the next big change comes to you, I hope you smile and think,"This is just another step — and I have taken steps before."
