Dear Me,
You remember her, don’t you?
That friend who refused to take a flight, who dug through charity shops like they held buried treasure, who talked about carbon footprints when we were still looking for the best school shoes.
You thought she was extreme, maybe even a bit weird. You nodded along when she spoke but rolled your eyes behind her back.
But five years later, you’ll find her words coming back to you.
She saw it before you. The urgency, the panic, the agony of the earth being pushed too far. She planted a seed. Not by “pushing the agenda” or lecturing you, but with the small choices she made. Slowly, without realising it, you started to make these changes too.
Now, you avoid flights. You choose trains, not just for the stunning scenery. You’ve learnt that every choice you make and every tonne of C02 matter. You shop second hand and you’ve learnt to repair your old clothes, giving them a second life. You use Ecosia to plant trees and bring your reusable mug everywhere, just in case.
While your climate anxiety hasn’t disappeared, it’s changed shape. It doesn’t paralyse you anymore; it acts as a fire in your belly, urging you to do more. It pushes you to act.
You’ve started to see AI differently, not just as some kind of marvel. You’re asking the harder questions. Is this progress sustainable? Can convenience really be ethical?
While you are far from perfect, you’ve stopped waiting for others. You’ve stopped waiting for the world to make the changes for you.
In the next few months, you’ll be moving to France. You’ll travel by train, even if it may be inconvenient. You’ll improve your other language, but you’ll also learn a new way to live. You’ll be smarter.
Now, the truth is, some people now think that you’re the crazy one, but that’s okay.
If your actions can plant even one seed, just like hers did, it’s all worth it.
The truth is, I owe her more than I have ever told her. So this is my way of thanking you.
Thank you for showing me what my actions can achieve. You taught me they don’t need to be loud and powerful, but that change can start with a single, stubborn refusal to accept the world the way it is.
And to you, my past self, thank you for reading this. Even when you didn’t understand, when you thought she was strange. Keep going.
Me.
