Dear Ani,

 I decided to write this to you. It's me, from the future, and I wish I could be by your side to tell you all this when you need to hear it. I know you've struggled a lot and it seems like there is no way out, but trust me: there is. I'm not yet on top of the hill you need to climb, but I'm through that initial shrubbery that was cutting you all over, and I've found some really tasty berries to eat and a stream of water to drink from.

The view is also incredible.

I wish I could hold your hand on the way here, but I'm going to continue just as you did, completely on my own. I want to tell you how utterly proud I am of you for undertaking this journey. You saw the hill, and you've tried before, and you were so close to giving up forever, so thank you, from the bottom of our heart, that you didn't. You made this happen - which means you can make so much more happen, too.

There are very few people that understand us. So many admire the climb, but are scared to attempt, or don't trust themselves. So many were pitying you from your last fall, and now are relieved that you can still walk - these make us doubt their love for us, as we could fall again, rain could fall and we could slip on some rocks, get back right where we started, and then... what about them?

I'm not going to tell you that you have to keep pushing on: you aren't obligated to. This hill is not the singular purpose of your existence. The view from the top is going to be breathtaking, and then people will have all kinds of attitudes towards our journey: but we aren't really doing it for them. We are doing it for us, and it is working really well, at the moment. Some days it even feels like there are trails here, for me to follow, and I'm not really sure if I should trust them, so I follow them only as long as they lead upward.

You know: it is not the mountain that we conquer, but ourselves. I'd replace that with "explore", instead. You've learned so much since you're on this journey, and I trust we'll learn so much more. There is nothing about yourself that you need to conquer, or overcome, or cut out or push away. The pieces might be connected in the wrong order, but the higher we get, the more references we've seen on how to actually connect them, so that they will work in harmony. Don't worry, this one thing won't figure out your entire life, on this you'll have to work until your very last breath.

And please, love your legs, as they are strong for taking you this far, and they will go even farther. I know you wish for wings, and sometimes, I do too, and I bet everyone does. But even if the hill were the exact same for each one of us, we'd still take different paths, because we're all different. I'm sorry I can't tell you it will be easy, but I can tell you it will be unique and it will be worth it.

You're magnificent, and we'll get on the top of this together. You do your part, then I do mine - you always used to say that you preferred doing things on your own, so that you're the only one with the responsibility for it to go according to your plan. I'll keep myself to your plan, too, and we'll make this shine and shimmer, don't worry. I promise you I'll put my work into this. For you and for me and for the future us. We're worth it, and I love you.