for as much blame we bluster towards our past self, we don't offer nearly enough gratitude. with the hype of hindsight being 20/20, how about the occasional fanfare for foresight? surely we can claim credit for all the decisions we got right, all the times we wisely trusted instinct over intellect. how quickly we torment ourselves over the tiniest mistake, yet remain hesitant to gift ourselves with the simplest of compliments (even when we stick the landing). this is more than just about being nice to ourselves, it's doing right by ourselves through recognizing our resilience - the twists and turns we dodged, the steady steps paved with the noble purpose of being right here, right now. there's nothing wrong with looking back and learning from our mistakes as they alchemize into missed aches, but let’s not punish ourselves for failing to know the future. we owe it to our past self who was doing their best, but we’ll also welcome the same grace from our future self to the very one reading these words. 📸: urban vintage