The following is a journal entry from my personal copy of Piccadilly’s 500 Writing Prompts.

While at the beach you decide to write a message in a bottle. What would it say? Who would you like to find it?

To: A girl like me.

Hello, love. I’m going to try to write you words of wisdom that I happen to need myself. This should be good for the both of us.

If you’re like me, you may be stressed about tomorrow (not literally tomorrow – unless something important is happening tomorrow) – tomorrow being the future. I’m like that, too. Though I consider myself improved every now and then, I find myself stressed, worried about days I have yet to even see and touch. That isn’t good, love. So here’s what I’m going to tell us:

Matthew 6:34 says, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” So, love, if we are to worry, let’s only worry about today, about now. Oprah once said, “Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” This moment – the right now – is the only one we know we have for sure. Live in that, in the moment. I’m not saying to abandon consideration for tomorrow, to dismiss the responsibilities of the future, but I am saying to relax.

Another thing I want to say to us is be intentional. If you’re like me, you know what you want to do and be, but you spend more time than you should on empty things, idle things, unimportant things. I give too much time to things with no purpose. And that’s a shame. Because my name literally means purpose. I’m not saying that every thing we do has to mean something, but I am saying to be mindful of how much energy we spend on things that will return nothing to us. Remember, I’m saying this to me, too. I’m writing to help us both out. Giving too much to a vacuum leaves you with a dry well; then the things with meaning, the things with purpose, what you want to do, who you are, and who you want to be have nothing left to drink, have not enough energy to be anything more than ideas, dreams. I learned from How I Met Your Mother that every decision you make should be in service to your dream. It doesn’t have to be everything if you don’t want it to be, though. It’s okay to watch TV, go to brunch, or write a message like this one. But more of what you do should be in service to your dream than not. Be intentional. Keep your well full for what matters.
I wish you the best. Me, too.