Anxiety makes you lazy and selfish. So resist that feeling. Do something for yourself, like flossing. And then do something for others, like smiling at the cashier.
I wrote a letter to one of my best friends yesterday for his birthday. Writing it made me feel better. Maybe reading it will make you feel better.
Dear Henrik,
I am writing on the eve of the US election. It is easy to feel like we are at a cliff’s edge, making it impossible to see what’s in the future and this can be scary. Especially because it feels totally out of our control.
But I know this isn’t true, because I know that regardless of what happens I will still have my friends. And in particular we will still be friends. And we will keep watching sports together, keep inviting each other to stay with our families and keep showing up for each other’s birthdays.
This brings me to the main point of this letter. Happy Birthday! In particular, happy 30th birthday. Sorry if you feel old, but we are happy to have you in the club. At some point in the near future, someone will ask you how old you are and you will have to say it out loud for the first time. That won’t feel great.
But then you will do it again, and again and realise it doesn’t matter. In fact, all being 30 means is that we have been friends for another year. And when you turn 31, that will simply mean we have been friends for another.
Love,
Karl
Karl's life 