If I Had to Write a Letter to My 100-Year-Old Self, What Should I Write?

Dear 100-Year-Old Me,

Wow. You made it to 100! Honestly, that is pretty impressive, especially considering how you used to struggle with getting out of bed for a morning walk in your 30s. I hope you are still standing tall or at least sitting comfortably with a cup of tea, wrapped in warmth and surrounded by love.

I wonder what life looks like for you now. Has technology advanced to the point where robots do your laundry and cook your meals? Or did the world finally invent teleportation so you can visit any place you want without booking a flight? I hope you have been to all the places you once dreamt of like the streets of Tokyo, the valleys of Switzerland, and the beaches of the Maldives.

More importantly, did you live your life exactly the way you imagined? Or did life throw you unexpected challenges like it always does? I hope you handled those challenges with the same courage and humor you always had. Remember how you used to laugh at your own failures and say, "Plot twist! Let’s roll with it." I hope you never lost that spark.

I also hope you did not spend too much time worrying about the small stuff like whether your career was moving fast enough or if you were meeting all the societal expectations. I hope you finally realized that life was never about deadlines but about moments. The deep belly laughs, the quiet sunsets, the random road trips, and the unplanned dinners with friends. I hope those made up the bulk of your happiness.

Did you stay close to the people who mattered most? I hope you still call your old friends sometimes, just to laugh about the silly things you did in your youth. I hope your family still brings you the same comfort that they did in your younger days. Most of all, I hope you have no regrets.

But tell me did you ever finish writing that book you always talked about? Or did you finally learn how to play the guitar like you promised yourself? If not, it is okay. I hope you still have the curiosity to learn something new, even at 100.

And about love - did you love Rajashree and Anika deeply, without hesitation? I hope you did. I hope you did not guard your heart too much, fearing hurt. Because love, even when it is messy, is still one of the best parts of being human.

I hope you still have that mischievous sense of humor. I hope you are the kind of 100-year-old who cracks jokes with the nurses or tells exaggerated stories just to make everyone laugh. After all, what is the point of reaching 100 if you cannot have a little fun with it?

So here is to you - the wiser, older, and hopefully still-wild version of me. I hope you lived the best life and never let the fear of aging slow you down. And if you did not? Well, you still have today. Go do something fun - like eating three scoops of ice cream or binge-watching your favorite TV series without guilt.

With love and a whole lot of hope,

Your Younger Self.