Rebbie Webb's Letter

My future self,

Ah, Rebbie, dear lord

You’re a wise owl now. Are you still being described as, ‘ever the optimist’? Are you having fun?!

We’ve been encouraged to write a ‘letter to the future’. But let’s be clear, you are my future, sweet pea! Those legs you throw around marathons, that heart you keep dragging through failed relationships, that plight you fight to attend every sodding hen do at the arse-end-of-nowhere-on-the-wolds?! All intensely stressful experiences at the time, but often fade into a funny memory and a mature statement about everyone and everything being, “bricks in the wall to where you’ll end up”.

Turned 30. Nothing changed. Pace of life and sheer determination led me to learn ride a bike, apply for new jobs, move house, wild swim. Move, move, move. Go, go, go. Drink. More. Coffee.

Sweet pea, what if something really breaks between now and the time I’m my future self – you – us? Will me and ‘future me’ be peas in a pod, with all our “bricks in the wall”? What if actually, the go, go, go when we’re actually a proper grown up is as delicate as a daisy chain? Oh sweet future pea, I hope you’ve slowed down.

Why, oh-so-wise owl? Sweet pea, it is simple: your future emotion, your body, your health, (yes, the running races, hen do’s… the heartbreaks…) all depend on nature. And nature is slow. Sweet pea, you are a part of nature! You are the nature! Without our nature – be it that ball pit of a brain, the fingers that type away at Strava captions, the nature that connects your feet to the grass, the bird taking shelter under their tree – our nature flows within us and out of us and makes us who we are.

Grown-up, wise-owl-me will see that yes, we are a critical part of nature defending itself. I hope my greatest hits of endurance hobbies don’t break because, hey, nature got too hot to do it, and oops, I didn’t slow the f*** down and realise that I needed to use my energy to act to protect nature, the environment, the greatest enduring playground.

Future wise owl, rest assured, the fun I have in life will continue. ‘Ever the optimist’ here is working at pace but also taking some time to pause, re-group, and react to the protect nature you speak of.

Wise Owl will be slower and content with her actions to protect the places and things we love to do, by seeing that that means protecting nature too. I – you – me – we – will have fun! But we will look after the delicate, daisy chain balance of keeping everything thriving. Even if it means slowing down, to think and act.

Bonne chance sweet pea, and remember, things are rarely saved perfectly!

From, me - you – me – we – I- Rebbie

P.S. Someone told me that coffee’s on the ‘Endangered Aisle’ due to the threat of climate change. Act quick, sweet pea, go, go go, move, move, move.