Message in a Bottle [LGBTQ+] [ONC 2024]

Letter #7

Dear Eli,

I don't think you are a boring or uninteresting person, no matter how many times you try to argue that you are. Anyone who sees wonder in the wonderless is a far more interesting person than someone that just does what is expected of them without any joy or fulfilment. You do not do what is expected of you, you think for yourself, and you know what it feels like to dream.

Despite what you might think, you are not a boring person. At least I do not think you are.

I am pleased that you are finding comfort in writing things down, even if you do not send them. Sometimes it just helps to get whatever it is off your chest so that you can breathe and think clearly rather than be weighed down by it all. It is something I often do myself, though I burn the letters I do not send so they are not found by someone else. It can be very helpful.

With regards to your father, I have just this to say:

You can, and should, think for yourself.

If you want to do something, if it is the thing that your heart is screaming out to do, but there are blocks making it unattainable, do it anyway. You are in control of your life and no one should be able to tell you that you cannot do it, especially for tradition's sake. Your father being a farmer does not mean you have to be one. You are the creator of your own future, not him.

Sometimes I wonder if I should take my own advice, at least my sister says I should, but it is far easier to give advice to others than to heed it yourself.

To answer your question, I still read, but not in the way I used to. Things became a little complicated a few years ago and it is not something I wish to discuss. Not yet. Maybe soon. Somehow, writing these letters is a reminder that life does, in fact, go on. It reminds me that it is possible to move beyond the impossible, to find hope in the struggles, and light in a dark room.

Even when it feels like the end of the world, you can always build a bridge. These letters are that bridge. They are the connection I never knew I was missing.

I hope they will continue to be as helpful for you as they have been for me.

Yours,

Samuel

~~~

First Published - April 15th, 2024