Dear Past Self:

      I remember being where you are now, Past Self. It was nearly a leap year in 2012; I was back in Pennsylvania, and had been for some six or so months, but I was not yet settled in. I was fat and sick, I was missing my mother and my Happy Potato something fierce. I was as yet blissfully unaware of the Widow Maker brewing in Mark’s chest and painfully ignorant about many very important political and societal issues.
      It was just before a really bleak, terrifying, depressing time in my life. You have that to look forward to, Past Self, and I’m sorry to say – there will be days when it seems like it cannot get any worse, but then it does.
      Fortunately, I can reassure you that those days are fleeting and the sun will shine again.
      There are so many wonderful things to come – some as a direct result of those days – and although I don’t wish to give it all away, as River said, “Spoilers, sweetie!”, I understand how much we hate surprises.
      So here are a few of the things you have to look forward to before the next Leap Year.

• The widow maker fails to make you a widow.
• Playing Pathfinder for sixteen hours – until the dawn breaks on Sunday morning!
• Getting married at the stroke of midnight – sort of.
• Meeting little miss Innocent Butterfly, aka Venna.
• Meeting Baby Cuckoo, MJ’s little brother.
• Re-befriending Abbie!
• Drinking coffee on the patio with Tim & Rhesa.
• Losing friends, meeting new ones.
• Running a Pathfinder campaign of your own (no wait, TWO!)
• A promotion at work.
• Lots of financial worries… Sorry, not everything can be good.
• Planning a Christmas in Ellensburg for 2016 (Hey, I still have this to look forward to, too!
• Richonne
• Pink Hair. Purple Hair. Neon Green Hair (briefly).
• Losing Weight
• Moving. Moving again. Moving AGAIN.
• Road Trip!
• Orange is the New Black (trust me!)
• Blogging – you’ll love it!
• Falling in love with Mark day after day after day… <3
• Writing.

      There is so much more, Past Self. From February 29th, 2012 until February 29th, 2016, your life with change SO much. Some for the better. Some for the worst. But in the end, you will wake up every evening (haha – don’t ask) and you will put your arm around your husband (possibly having to push the dog out of the way to do so) and you will thank God for another day, another breath, another chance.
      The past four years have been, for all the troubles and tribulations, brilliant.
      So too will be the next four.
      I hope.
Love & Other Indoor Sports,

Note: Image is “Paint Letter 2” by (Billy A.) from SXC.hu