This article is a letter to my younger self.
Hello there, bear with me I have a long story to tell you. First of all, I’d like to thank you; I’d like to thank you for making me who I am today. Thank you for going through all that drama, and those long, hard years that shaped you to become, well, me.
There are a few things I would like to speak to you. I would also like to give you a few words of advise for you to keep in mind while growing up. Life is going to break you, scar you, heal you, protect you but also take away from you. My advise to you is don’t hate your family, but most importantly, don’t take life too seriously. You’ll go through school thinking that those were the worst days of your life, and that bullying was the most horrific thing you’ll ever experience.
Bullying, sadly, is a normal process that most kids go through in school. If you haven’t been bullied, at least once in your life, then you’re one of the lucky ones. Just so you understand, bullying usually manifests itself on people who try to be one of the popular kids. In a very wrong way that I have come to understood very late, most bullies do just that as a way to fit in. A defense mechanism of sorts that only a few acquire it to help them gain the upper hand in situations.
If you have ever been bullied or have bullied someone, I totally understand now that this is part of the process of making one stronger. I agree that it might have left you in tears at night; it might have given you nightmares; hell, it might have even cost you your life. But a few years down the road and you’ll be here, you’ll be alive, you’ll be standing tall and none of will matter. Don’t let them bring you down. We are all beautiful in our own special way, and I’m very sorry that you didn’t know this then.
You might hate your family now. You might think they are pushing you far too much. You might even believe that they come from another planet and that they will never ever understand you. You’re too scared of disappointing them with your grades, your actions; you might even think about running away and living on your own. Believe me when I tell you, you were never more wrong. The more you grow up, the more you’ll realize that you want to spend time at home, you’ll want to stay in with your family and do boring family things. Why? Because old you now knows that they are the only ones who will ever be there for you.
