The self of the past is the self of the past.

"I'm shy."

I wonder when it started.

It became like a self-introduction.

I can't talk well with people I meet for the first time.
I become quiet in large groups.
I'm not good at closing the distance between myself and others.

I thought that was the "real me."

But, one day.

There was a moment when I could talk to people as naturally as if it were magic.

Without being overly cautious,
without worrying about what to say,

I was simply enjoying the moment.

Before I knew it, I was laughing,
and the other person was laughing too,

"Huh? I can talk like this?"

I was surprised at myself.

At that time, I felt very at ease.

I wasn't trying to be someone I'm not,
and I wasn't forcing anything.

In fact, compared to before,
I was much more natural.

On the way home, I suddenly thought.

The self of the past is,
the self of the past.

And,

if I have changed,
then I am the self from the moment I changed.

The time I spent being shy,
was also a necessary time.

So there is no need to deny it.

But,
there is also no need to remain bound by the past self.

It's okay if someone who couldn't talk until yesterday,
can start talking from today.

It's okay if something I disliked until yesterday,
becomes something I like from today.

People are, unexpectedly,
perhaps freer than they think.

The self of the past is,
the self of the past.

And from today on,
I should just live as today's self.

The past does not disappear.

But,
it does not determine who I will be in the future.

It is okay to acknowledge that you have changed.

It is okay to accept the changed self.

Because life,
is not just made up of an extension of the past.

No matter how I was until yesterday,
the scenery changes with one step taken today.

So, hold your head high,
and live as your current self.

Because the self that is here right now,
is the one that will create the future.