Dear Me: an annual community ritual

A Letter to Ourselves: Year 2 (2024)

What’s up, people?

Welcome to an annual ritual for us here in the Courtyard, the Dear Me letter. Join if you can.

Here’s how it works:

1. Check out our 2023 Dear Me letter to get a sense of what this looks like.

2. Write yourself a letter (no more than 1 page), starting with: “Dear Me…” Make it intimate. Make it honest. Make it magnanimous and kind, if you can. Make it weird. No right or wrong here. The point is to reflect on 2024. What did you learn? What did you have to let go of? What do you want to celebrate about yourself, about life? What do you want to take responsibility for? Imagine that your past self from a year ago will have the chance to read this. What would you want them (yourself) to know? Just let it flow, see where it goes.

3. You email that letter (no more than a page) to me (andrewforsthoefel@gmail.com) by December 26th.

4. I select a few sentences from every submission, edit them together to make one letter, as if we are one voice speaking to our one self. (Important note: Your first name will be credited).

5. I post the amalgamated letter here in the Courtyard.

6. You read it. Maybe you toss up a comment.

7. We move on into 2025, together, blessed.

I look forward to reading your letters. Lucky me.

With gratitude,

Andrew