My Letter To Myself

About a year ago at the beginning of massage school we were given the assignment to write ourselves a letter as if we had already graduated-- a letter from the future if you will. I worte this letter because I had to, not necessarily because I thought I was actually going to be graduating. I was still unsure of massage school and when I sat and down and earnestly thought about the future I had a hard time believing I was going to finish school. I wrote this letter anyways and did it as honestly as I could. Two months following graduation I received my letter in the mail and it brought a few tears to my eyes. I CAN'T believe how far I have come.

Amers,
Hey hotness! (Yes. I really did start my letter that way thanks to Olivia, my ten year old niece.) Congratulations on graduating from freakin' massage school! Can you believe it!?! I know there were many, many, many times you wanted to throw in the towel, but you kept on truckin' and have come SOOO...far! Thanks to your AMAZING support system; your parents, the Beach's, and all the great instructors and staff at UCMT you have learned some great skills and more importantly you learned A LOT, A LOT about yourself.
Thanks to Char you learned how to say, "I CAN" instead of saying and believing "I can't" You CAN!! I know you struggled with believing in yourself and trusting yourself and your body, but look at all you have overcome and are able to do! You are just as capable as anyone in this world. Don't allow your disability to disable you. Instead, allow it to enable you! Now go forth and conquer! I'm really proud of ya and all you have accomplished in these last seven months. You ROCK my SOCKS!
Oh yeah! Don't forget about Cat--she's been your saving grace a number of times throughout this journey. Don't forget to thank her for always being there for you and keeping you going even when you thought your world was crashing down around you. Always be grateful for the role she played in your life.
Remember the instructors and their patience, kindness, and willingness to help you in ANY way they could in order for you to grow and succeed. Be grateful for the challenges they put before you--you're stronger because of them.

Love,
Amy

Funny how just within a few weeks of school I already had a feeling of what I was getting myself into and just how hard I was going to get pushed. I was also aware of how badly I may end up wanting to quit. Yet, at the same time there was still just enough of the "unknown" to keep me from running away in fear. Had I known just how school was going to go from the very start there would have been no chance in hell I would have even bothered in staying through to the second day. I would have given up.
It's also funny how I knew who the important people were going to be and who was going to keep me going. I did thank Cat and I continue to thank Cat for what she did for me. And I'll ALWAYS be grateful for her. I owe her everything I have and she has played a pivitol role in the person I have become.
The one thing that ended up surprising me the most was how much I learned to love body work. There were times during school when I was absolutely sure I wasn't going to become a therapist in the end. Now? It's kind of surprising to me how happy I am to go to work and how much fun I have doing it. I love what I do and school really did change my life for the better. I am a completely different person today because of school and all the lessons I learned there. For the first time I think in my life I am truly happy to be Amy. I wouldn't change anything for the world. I am exactly right where I want to be and life couldn't be any better.