Day 16: Thanks, Kid.

I know you feel stuck, Kid; you’re fighting what feels like an impossible fight and you’re not gaining any ground. I know you had big dreams based on bigger promises and all that’s crashing down around you. You feel helpless and out of control. I know it hurts to breathe and you can’t imagine the new world order in front of you. I know your heart’s been broken so many times you’ve lost count. But thank you.

For choosing to look past treatment that shook you to the core and challenged what it meant to love another person greater than yourself. Hell, for dealing with things that challenged you to love yourself.

And some called you stupid. Others called you delusional, told you to open your eyes. Because of it all, though, you learned unconditional love. You learned how to forgive.

Thank you for overthinking…

…every moment of every situation, you replayed them until they drove you mad. But that showed you how to find the beauty in the midst of the rubble, to the left of the scar tissue and the raw nerves. All that overthinking taught you how to hope with a determination that was unshakeable. A girl can dream, right? Dream big, girl.

Thank you for never giving up.

I know you wanted to. God knows you had every right to, but you didn’t. Work, play, love. You were there. Believing. Committed. Fighting. I’m sorry it didn’t treat you so well. I guess you can have a little peace knowing you learned how to stay positive despite all the reasons not to.

Thank you for looking in the mirror every day…

…and telling yourself that you’re worth something, that you’re loved. That you’re worthy of love. I know you struggled and felt like you were lying to yourself, but you did it anyway, and that’s brave. Some days you said it and smiled. Some days you cried. But every day, you said it again. You learned how to believe in yourself.

Thank you for moving downtown.

You came in like a hurricane and did a lot of it wrong, but you sorted it, sorted you, and that takes introspection. You were looking for power when you felt powerless. You were looking for worth when you felt unworthy. In the end, you learned to look inside, fix the broken, and find more light than you ever knew you possessed.

Thank you for never giving up on love.

This one’s hurt you more than it’s helped you, sure. You’ve given people more credit than they deserve. You’ve loved people more than they’ve loved you. But through it all, you learned how to be the better person. You learned how not to give up on others, even when they’d given up on themselves.

Thank you for trying.

I know you’re tired. That some days you don’t want to get out of bed, to eat, to shower. Trying has often brought you more pain than peace, and yet you did it anyway. You found your strength in the process, and you learned how to have faith in the one constant — you.

Thank you for not giving up.

On many things, but mostly on yourself. In the middle of the noise and the chaos and the mess, you found the quiet inside of you. You are worthy, Kid. Despite all the things you hear, you’re worthy. And you’ve learned not to let anyone take that away from you.

…good for you.

What’s your thank-you note look like?

Featured Photo by Courtney Hedger on Unsplash