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| Current Selfie from Today - complete with Snapchat filter (is that still a thing?) because I'm too lazy to do my make-up |
Reading my old blogs remind me of what a strange time 2008 was. It was a time before smart phones were a universal thing, when to go on the Internet on your phone was too expensive to consider, before emojis existed, when having a full physical keyboard and touch screen was all the rage, when you had to decide which of your text messages were the most important to save (that 200 message cap was always so inconvenient), MySpace was still all the rage, and going to Internet cafes were the only way to access the web if you were out of the country.
Also, side note here, how on earth did I travel in the pre-Google Maps era? Clearly, I did it, but honestly, I'm so confused how I didn't become hopelessly lost. Also, the amount of "lolz", "^_^", "CAPITAL LETTERS", bad spelling, and general mentions of hot guys I met are way too many and way too embarrassing to contemplate. But here's a small copy-and-pasted excerpt:
On the London plane ride, though, I met this really neat guy, and he had a British Accent. He even knew and visited Flo Town, and it felt like a VERY small world right then. We had a lot in common, and it was really coool to meet new people.
The diversity here is really something. Nearly any type of ethnicity or religion that you could possibly DREAM of is here! Everyone was awed by it when we first came. No wonder London is called an INTERNATIONAL CITY!!Anyways, without further ado, here's my new letter addressed to the year 2028!
Dear Future Jade,
Hi! I hope you're well. 2028 sounds so futuristic, like there should be hover cars (at the very least self-driving cars), matter transporters, holograms, Google glasses instead of brick phones, longer lasting battery life, jet packs - lots of insane future-y things that I'm sure already exist, but just aren't available to commercial consumption yet.
I can't believe that this time in ten years I will be 32 - almost 33 - years old. That's the same age that my mom adopted me from China! It's also the same age Christ was crucified. Hopefully you aren't on the way to be crucified, but do you have a family yet? Are you married? (Hopefully to a British guy). When I was younger I thought I would be an old married woman, practically dead, by the time I was in my mid-twenties, but seeing as that's only two/three years away, I've re-adjusted my personal timeline. I hope that you are married, or if not, not cripplingly lonely and surrounded by lots of friends and family.
Are you still good friends with Douglass? With Ike, Alex, Marlee, Anna, and all your other uni friends? Are you still friends with Todd and Annaliese? (Most likely, since you've managed to stay friends post-university just fine). What are all of them doing these days? Say hello for them for me, and call your mom. You probably don't call everyone enough.
I also hope that you have a good job that you love (maybe not every day, but most days), in a field that you enjoy. I hope you are making more than money.
My current (general) goals are:
1) To have a decent paying job in my industry (entertainment/media/arts)
2) To have my own apartment
3) To have better mental, physical, and emotional health
But I also hope that you've worked more on your art career, gained more hobbies, read more books, achieved your goal of going to six continents before hitting 30 years old, and moved to London (at least temporarily) by now.
Are you still interested in the music and film industries? What are the current trends? Right now I predict that jazz music and "big bands" will be the future, and single artists will die out. Do you still love David Bowie with your whole heart and soul? It will be twelve years since he died - which is crazy, since twelve years ago he was alive and well in 2006.
What's on your nightstand? Right now I'm reading The Club of Queer Trades by G.K. Chesterton, and I've just finished The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima, as I'm also going through Bowie's Top 100 Books List.
Where are you living these days? It's been about five months since I moved to New York City. I plan on only staying here for a few years - four, maybe five (THAT'S ALL WE'VE GOT) to get a good idea of what it's like to live in New York. Did you decide to extend your stay? Are you living in London yet?
I wonder what advice you'd give me (when I think about the advice I'd give myself ten years ago)? These are some of the things I hope you remember in the future (no particular order):
1) Take life less seriously. I'm still working on this, as I feel melancholy more days than not, but things that help include being more enthusiastic about life and having fun.
2) There's more to life than money. Even broke af, I know this, and my deepest desire is to make money at making art which inspires people and glorifies God.
3) God first. Seriously. I hope you've learned to trust, obey, and have faith in Him better than anything I have done (as of yet). No job, relationship, etc. is worth sacrificing for this.
4) You can do more than you think. To quote Bowie: "No hill's too steep, no mountain's too tall. With hope and faith, you can conquer them all". Ten years ago you decided to move across the country by yourself and live in the most expensive city in America with no job, no friends, and nothing except for your determination and the Spirit. (See: Number 3).
5) Be open. To everything and anything. You never know where your next opportunity will come from, what you can learn, or what God will bless you with.
6) Always be kind and empathetic. Treat everyone with respect. Don't lose touch with your friends and family from the past. Invest in people. They are worth it.
7) Enthusiasm and passion are great to have. Be enthusiastic about life, passionate about things you like (backwards: David Bowie (20 years old-present), YouTube (19 yrs), Doctor Who (18 yrs; 20 yrs), Star Trek (18 yrs), Sherlock (17 yrs), Merlin (16 yrs), The Beatles (15 yrs), Harry Potter (5-12 yrs; 14 yrs), Pirates of the Caribbean (13 yrs), Lord of the Rings (12 yrs)), and don't be afraid to be a little childish and a lot imaginative.
Things I Hope Are Left in the 2010s:
1) Instagram - the aesthetic is taking over the world and homogonizing beauty. Say no.
2) Hash tag movements - seriously, social media hype and trends are annoying and I'm not sure they really help create meaningful, sustainable change.
3) Bad art - specifically, contemporary art theory taken to it's extreme, but manifested in a lame, meaningless way.
4) Bipartisan opposition - enough said.
5) Being broke af - living pay cheque to pay cheque is frustrating and unsustainable.
Hopefully, 2028 isn't anything like 1928 (the year before the Great Depression). Remember to get out before that chaos happens! (Although the world already seems like it's on the brink of collapse anyways what with President Trump [remember when that was a thing?], Brexit, economic problems, etc. etc.) But maybe you will be living in London by this time, and the collapse of Wall St will be an ocean away. Or maybe everything will be revived and bustling like the 1970s (minus the racism, drugs, political strife, economic problems, and bad public transportation)! It's weird to think that will have been 50 years in the past by the time this letter is supposed to be read (assuming that this blog still exists, is accessible, etc.)
That's all for now! I really hope 2028 is a great year for you!
All the Best,
Past Jade
P.S.
Do you have that tattoo yet that you've been wanting to get for ages? Because a lighting bolt for Harry Potter/Bowie on your left foot is still a great idea. Go get one now if you haven't yet.
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