THE LETTER THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
It was in February 2021, a Tuesday morning to be precise, just before noon, when I went to my mailbox to get the mail like I do every day. I walked down the driveway, head down, thinking, “what I am going to do with my life?” When I reached for the handle of the mailbox, a shadow covered my hand. Someone was next to me. I looked up. This person was staring at me silently. His eyes were familiar but I couldn’t see the entire face because he was wearing a mask. Somehow, I knew this person; but couldn’t recollect his name.
We engaged in a casual conversation and he asked me if I could walk a few steps with him. I thought it would be a good idea after staying so long alone in my house. So we started to walk up the street.
We passed the first house on the left. There was a “for sale” sign. I asked what happened to the family living there. I remembered the wonderful couple and their two teenage kids that immigrated from Hungary. They were so sweet and the kids were so much fun to watch when they played music in their garage. He told me that during the pandemic, their shoe repair business failed. They couldn’t afford to stay here and had to move back to their home country.
We continued to walk up the hill. I noticed another house across the street. It was empty. I remembered taco parties we had during the summer. The family came from Mexico. They were the most generous and loving people in the neighborhood. They didn’t have much but they were just heartfelt, giving people. The couple didn’t speak much English. The kid was always helping us to communicate. Sometimes tequila and tacos helped us to get through the language barrier! I asked what happened to them. He replied that they had a huge struggle during the pandemic homeschooling the boy. They didn’t understand much English and couldn’t support their son as they wanted. The kid didn’t get good grades and had to drop out of school. Unfortunately, they had to move to another neighborhood.
When we reached the top of the hill, I noticed the house of the elderly couple that often watched the kids playing in the street, a lemonade in their hand. They often sat on two rocking chairs in their driveway or sometimes in their garage when it was too hot. They would sit for hours enjoying the precious moment of the kids playing. Today, there was no rocking chair. The garage door was closed. I asked my friend standing to my left if he had seen them lately. He replied with astonishment: “you didn’t know? Andre passed away due to the virus. Paula couldn’t keep up the maintenance of the house alone. Sadly, she had to move away and she is now in a nursing home”.
My eyes filled with tears. I just wanted to cry. So much misery. I stopped and looked at my feet, shaking my head. Why is there so much pain? I couldn’t understand it. I wanted to ask how we got there, so much disconnection and sadness. I lifted my head and turned to the left… nobody was there. I turned around… I was alone on the top of the hill, my friend had vanished as quickly as he appeared in front of the mailbox. I looked back down the street. It was silent, it looked like a ghost town, no life, no joy, no sound.
Suddenly, I bird landed next to me by the tree. I listened to him singing. It brought me a little bit of joy, a little bit of hope. Then, I looked behind the tree. There was a rainbow. One side of the rainbow was pointing down the other side of the hill. For some reason, I decided to walk towards it. I was called to go there. My pace started to get faster and in no time I was running down the hill towards the rainbow. I squeezed through a narrow path between the trees. Then, in front of me, there was a wooden door under a big arch covered with colorful flowers. I could hear music. I could hear people laughing and kids running around and screaming. I could feel a high, vibrant energy. I wanted to look behind the door. What kind of place is this? Am I dreaming? When I was close to reaching the handle, the door opened.
Someone was there with a big smile on his face. I recognized this person. He was familiar. It was the same person I just walked with up the street. This time he had no mask. When I looked in his eye and his face, I recognize who he was. This person was me, just older, maybe five to seven years older. He was happy and joyful. He said: “come in and be with us”. I entered. Behind the door was a beautiful field with a few trees giving shade to the people sitting there. I looked around… it was magical, it was unreal. Suddenly, I heard a familiar sound playing that I had listened to many times before in the neighborhood. I looked to my right and walked towards it. There it was. The family from Hungary, sitting together and playing music. The father looked at me, stood up, and walked towards me. He hugged me as I have never been hugged in my life… I could feel his heart pounding against my chest. He was so happy. “Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for having given us the opportunity to work with you. All the bags, shoes, boots, and horse gears you gave us for repair allowed me and my family to not only survive during the tough time but to grow our business. Thank you for the support. Look at my family. We wouldn’t be here playing music for the community without your help. We wouldn’t be in the US. And guess what, I just received my citizenship. How wonderful is that!” Tears of joy starting running down my cheeks. We then looked at each other silently, with compassion and empathy reflecting on the blessing to be together right here, right now.
Then someone came behind me and put his arms around my shoulder. It was a 6-foot tall kid, beautiful, strong, and awesome. “Do you remember me?” he asked. I looked at him and could see a familiar face. It was the son of the Mexican family. He said, “I am in my second year at the university studying to become a doctor. I am the president of my class and created a group that goes every Summer in Mexico to help in an orphanage. Thank you so, so much for the time you spent with me every evening during the pandemic. Every night, you came online and helped me with my homework. I was able to keep good grades and I was lucky to be granted a scholarship to Stanford University. I am fulfilling my dream to serve others. Thank you so, so much”. He then pulled hard on my shoulder and squeezed me with so much love. I couldn’t stop my tears. They were streaming down my face. There was so much love and kindness in this young man. We leaned toward each other, forehead against forehead, and we both said thank you, thank you, thank you.
Then I looked over his shoulder and I saw Paula, seating in her rocking chair, watching the kids playing with kites. I ran to her. She was such an amazing wise person. I was so happy to see her. When I kneeled next to her, she looked straight into my eyes with so much gratitude. I took her hand. She covered my hand with her other hand. “Thank you, thank you for keeping me in this beautiful neighborhood. Thank you for taking care of my house, my yard and helping me with the maintenance. My greatest pleasure and dream in life is to watch the kids playing. Thank you for fulfilling my dream”. I leaned towards her and gave her a long kiss on her forehead, one of those kisses that make you feel so humble and so grateful.
When I stood up, I could see a big blanket under a tree with many people sitting on it. For some reason, my instinct told me to get there, closer. When I approached the tree, I recognized some of the voices, I got closer and recognized the faces. Suddenly, they all stood up and looked at me, arms open. “Come here, seat with us”. They were my ancestors, my loved ones who lived behind the rainbow. I recognized each one of them. I missed them so much. The person I missed the most was my godfather who passed away when I was 10 years old. I sat next to him and leaned my head on his shoulder. He put his hand on my cheek, patting me like he often did when I was a child. He then turned to me and said, ”look around you, isn’t this amazing… Can you see how much love, joy, happiness, and compassion there is in this field? Can you feel how much influence you had on this community? Can you see what a great role model you were for all these people during the difficult time? Can you sense the vibrant energy that surrounds each and every one of these people you touched in your life? That is beautiful… Congratulations my godson. You did well, very well. Look at you, look around you… Now you see what is feasible, what you are capable of, and what impact you can have. Now, I want you to go back to your mailbox and make the right choices… Think about how you want to show up in your life and how you want to be remembered. Now it is time for you to go back into the real world and show them the best version of you. Go back to your mailbox. There is a letter waiting for you”.
I stood up and gave him a big, tight, long hug and then hugged everyone on the blanket. It felt so good… I promised all of them to show up in the world and be the best version of myself. I promised to serve and make my life an extraordinary life. My friend, my future me, took my hand and showed me the way to the door. “It is time to go,” he said.
Before I left, I turned around and took one last big breath to fill up my lungs with this extraordinary energy. I stepped out and closed the door. I started to run up the hill again, reached the top of the street, and run even faster down the hill to my mailbox. I opened it. There was a blue envelope with my name on it. My hands were shaking from anticipation. What is it in this letter? I was so excited to read it. I ripped the top of the envelop and pull out the paper inside.
The paper was blank. Nothing. Blank on both sides. I tried to make sense of it… Then the voice of my Godfather came to my mind. “This letter is your path, your life… you choose what you want to write on it. You choose the future you want and the person you want to become. You have seen what is possible. You choose… Pick wisely and write your story, your life, your journey, starting right now…”
I turned around, lifted up my shoulder, gazed up to the sky, and took a deep breath. Thank you, Thank you, thank you. I went back to my house, uplifted, joyful, and energized. I saw what I can do. I saw how important it was to serve, to reach out, and to take action. Every little gesture of kindness and support make a huge difference in the life of others. Every little step adds up. From that day, I promise to show up as the best version of myself. I want my life to matter. I want to create an amazing legacy and progress humanity with simple acts of service. I want to make a difference.
Today, when you will get your mail, look in your mailbox. There will be a blue envelope with your name on it. Take it with you. In this envelop, there will be a blank page. Take a pen and write down who you want to become in 5 or 7 years, what do you want to contribute to this world, and where you want to be. Write every detail of your future you, your future life. Then, put it back in the blue envelope. Keep this letter preciously. Then go into the world and take action. Make it happen, Manifest it! You can do it.
The next time you will open your envelope, 5 to 7 years down the road, you will read the extraordinary journey of your life with all the details like you have imagined it.
Go now. Go with confidence. Step up. Make an impact in this world. Create your legacy.
-Hubert
YourHPcoach
P.S.: Hey guys, Hubert here!
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