What I Would Tell My Younger Self

There is a uniqueness about each and every one of us. We are born with a passion that is planted deep inside of us from the very seed that created us and in all of its mystery here we are. It is so much more than the physical attributes that the simple minded become fixated upon, but in the life experiences and the people we meet, the books we read, and the perception of who we are that shapes us into who we become.

The American culture has placed stereotypes on so much of what it means to be an acceptable human. It is said to some that you must not show weakness, that you must not show pleasure, that you must not show complacency. We are forced to have all of our life’s answers and quest for who you are hoping to become by the time we graduate high school, but while we are so busy trying to figure out how to pass a test that determines where you fit in, we loose the passion and purpose of chasing the dreams that sparked happiness in us as a child. Throughout the years I have learned that I am so much more than your number that you placed on my report card; My GPA.

I would tell my younger self to love the journey, and if it doesn’t feel good, listen to your heart. I would tell my younger self to believe in my own path, that I didn’t have to fit into a societal box to find love or who I was supposed to be and that being different is a beautiful journey and that it doesn’t require a label or a diagnosis to be attached to it. I would tell my younger self to stay on that big wheel for as long as you can, for if it brings happiness, then that is the true essence of this thing we call living.

When I looked in the mirror, I would have told her how much I loved her, instead of looking for someone else to look back at her. I would have given her the respect she deserved, with a confidence that no-one could have broken or stole, because if there is one thing that I have learned it is to love who you are. It is in the darkness and in the failures that the loneliness and the emotions teach us to find what is worth fighting for, and what simply just needs to be thrown away. I would tell my younger self that life hurts, and that life is hard, but if you stay close by the side of your own morals, beliefs and desires that one day, one day, all your dreams will come true.

Happy Birthday mom. Today you celebrate 92 years of living and we finally made it to a place of authentic, transparent, love for the women we both are today. It is because of you that I have come this far. To my young, beautiful spirit, please don’t ever lose your beautiful soul, for you have everything you need right inside of you, just believe. Together anything is possible. Love you Taylor.