Be You, And Be Cherished

You are special.  No.  You really are.  I know it is hard to believe when the grown ups always say that to you.  It becomes background noise to the voices at school telling you that you're nothing, or the ones criticizing you.  But whether you believe it or not, it's true.  You are loved and cherished by more people than you think.

Being a unique person has less to do with what one wears, what one learns at school, and more to do with dreams, delights, fears, and reactions to everything that affects them in the world.

Are you a kind person in spite of the way other people behave?  Do you respond in kind to the nastiness of others?  When the world shakes you down to your sneakers, do you wallow in darkness and pain, or do you pick yourself up, and find something to be happy about?  Do you find people who will treat you as you deserve to be treated, or continue spending time with people who will eventually hurt you?

You deserve happiness.  You do!  You deserve acceptance.  If people cannot see that, understand that, or believe that, then they are not worth your time or worry.  Clearly, they are not worthy of you.  That is worth repeating.  If they can't see what is dear in you, they are not worthy to share your airspace.  I don't care how cool they think they are, or how expensive they dress. I don't care what they think they know about you. They have no idea what they are talking about.  They don't know you.  They are focused on trivial things that don't mean anything in the long run.  Even the $500 outfits they wear will be out of style in anything from months to years.  You will never be out of style.  You will be the person you are, getting better with age and wisdom.

Believe in your heart.  There is so much inside you that is good.  So much inside you that can bring light to the darkness around you.  If you cannot see that, then you are too close to the pain inside.  The hurt the world delivers can take your focus and turn it away from the one thing that is most important in your life: your own little heart, spirit, and soul.  I say little, because at heart we are all small, simple, and vulnerable. Mine, yours, Albert Einstein's.  Inside we are mushy, soft, and brimming with something that desires love, peace, and joy.  We have other dreams and goals, but at our simplest, we want those three things.  The world can easily take that and squash it flat, but it is still there.  Often it is covered in scar tissue, or a shell, but it is there.  That sweet, dear, center is who you are, and it will bring out your best in this life.

The key to living a good life is to save that vulnerable side.  Cherish it.  Let it out with the people you trust.  Choose your friends wisely.  Have as many acquaintances as you like, but save yourself only for the kindest, most loving people.  Remember:   if someone is mean to other people, or cheats them, or lies to them, that person can do the same to you.  Being a part of the cool crowd is not worth getting your heart trampled.  It is much better to find friends who don't judge you, or anyone else, harshly.  Find friends you can be silly with.  Friends you can cry with.  Friends you can tell your deepest fears and hopes to.  Coolness should never be an issue with them.  They are for you, not the image you project of who they would like you to be.  These few will be the friends you have for your whole life.  These few will be like family, who will support you in the bad times and celebrate with you during the good ones.

Dear ones, take heart.  Middle school is a time of change.  A crisis of identity:  who am I?  Who will I become? Who do I want to become? 

I know you will become wonderful, whoever you become.  You have loving hearts, and smart minds that will help you to accomplish many things.  Don't be fooled by the world, by the cool kids, by anything that tells you you are unworthy.  Be who you are.  Be yourself (I know you're still figuring out who that is) and be kind to yourself.