A Letter From My 4th Grade Self

The OG

Observations

1. I was conscious of what others thought of me (“This might sound a little weird, so please read this silently.”) I was oftentimes called “weird” by my classmates. Now, I try to not let the naysayers get to my head.
2. Olivia Holt and Bethany Mota are underrated. And I felt that back then.
3. Strong believer in the Oxford Comma to this day.
4. I’ve never liked social media (4th grade me secretly didn’t want 9th grade me to have it!).
5. I’ve always loved sports — I still play tennis and volleyball! Not soccer though.

I believe that there is so much insight to be extracted from memories, archives, photos, videos, etc. of our younger selves. Admittedly, I still share many of the same values, quirks, curiosities, and thoughts to this day with 4th grade Aleena that it genuinely scares me. Growing up, I have learned new ideas from my environment and sometimes have fallen into the trap of assimilation, yet I try to create a fine line between who I truly am (and have always been), and who the world has forcibly created within me. We can all learn a lot about who we are, as well as our natural curiosities and passions, by analyzing our younger selves.

This begs the question,

Before pressure and expectations, what were you naturally drawn to, before you even knew what you were doing?

I hope you know a little about you.