Coffee With My Younger Self

There is a trend going around on social media about having coffee with your younger self and I am loving it.

Here is my version:

I sit across from her, the younger me—she stirs her coffee (which isn’t coffee, instead— hot chocolate), fingers tracing the rim of the mug, putting on a brave face before she finally asks…

"Does it get better?"

I know exactly what she means—the family she thought she knew, the friends she thought she had, the quiet ache of feeling out of place, an extroverted lone-sheep.

"Everything starts to change, little by little. And you? You stand up for yourself like never before."

She nods, absorbing the words but still searching for reassurance.

"Are we loved?" she asks, voice barely above a whisper.

I smile. "More than you ever thought possible. You meet the most amazing, wonderful man. You're cautious, but he is steady and true in his love. You open your heart, and everything you never thought was coming for you—it's here."

Her grip tightens around the mug. "Do we have any kids?"

"Yes, he—your husband helps you change your mind."

A slow smile tugs at her lips. "Are we a good mom?"

I feel the weight of her question settle between us. She doesn’t know yet—how much love she is capable of, how deeply she will give, how fiercely she will protect.

I reach for her hand. "You are the best mom. Not because you have all the answers, not because you do everything perfectly, but because you love with every fiber of your being. You show up. You try. You learn."

Her fingers tremble slightly. "But what if I mess up?"

I squeeze her hand. "You will. And it won’t matter the way you think it will. She will love you anyway. She will need you anyway. And you? You will always be enough for her."

She swallows hard, blinking back tears. "Do we ever feel whole?"

I hold her gaze, steady and sure. "Yes. You will lose a huge piece of your heart and grieve for a long time, but in time you start to pick up pieces. You are loved. You are safe. And everything you were so afraid of losing? You find it will come back to you in ways you never expected."

She exhales, a little lighter. A little braver.

And for the first time in a long time, she believes me.