An Open Letter To Lila | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyles

Dear Lila, You're Not Perfect But You Don't Need To Be

You didn't deserve all of this.

144
Dear Lila, You're Not Perfect But You Don't Need To Be
https://unsplash.com/photos/3he6nf6uRfE

There are many things that I would like to tell you so let me begin with the most important lesson of all. You're not perfect but you don't need to be. You're everything that this world needs you to be and more, you are resilient and beautiful. You are all the things that you see in other people, somehow you don't see these things in yourself. Trust me when I say it makes all the sense in the world that you see yourself as flawed and broken but also find that you're that way without a cause.

This doesn't make it strange to be needy and broken, in fact, you're right as you should be.

You should know that letting a stranger put their hands on you will not make you whole, that giving yourself up so easily does not solve your problems or numb the pain. But it also doesn't make you all the things that people say you are. You see this matters, in the end, what you think of yourself matters more than what others think of you.

You are everything that you need to be and you are who you are today because of everything that you have been through. You never needed to search for love in physical affection, with those who didn't know you and those who didn't care. You needed to search for the love within yourself, and you need to understand that whether or not you believe it you are loved in all the ways that you'll need to be. There is so much love in your heart and you know that which is exactly why you should be spreading love to other people but also to yourself. Learning to love yourself is important and learning that your struggles and your life story are valid is just as important. You're not defined by pieces of paper that say what's wrong with you, you're not defined by the medication that you take every morning, you are not defined by the mistakes that you have made.

These mistakes that you have made are to be lessons and good ones at that. The lessons you learn from the mistakes you have made last you a lifetime and they will carry you through the difficult times and the heartbreaks and the loss because you are stronger than you think you are and you are more beautiful inside than you could ever imagine. Loving the wrong person can be a mistake too and it turned you blind. Losing him was the worst but everyone told you differently.

Being so young you think that the person that you're with is going to be the person that you're going to marry and that life is going to be happily ever after, that they can save you when they can't. The only person that can save you is yourself and I know that's not something that anyone wants to hear, especially when they're in love. It has to be said, this is such an important lesson and I'm so glad that I learned it. Without this lesson, I don't think that I would have ever found the man that I'm with today, I don't think that I would've felt whole over the past almost 3 years at all. I know that you have to save yourself and it is so much harder then you will ever think that it is, it is waking up every day and telling yourself out loud that you're important and telling yourself that you are caring and you are loving and you are kind.

Saving yourself as a choice, it is the choice you make every single day. Choosing to live your life with your own purpose and stop trying to please everyone else and proving everyone wrong is what is going to set you free. That's all you want, isn't it? You want to be free from the demons that haunted you your entire life, you want to feel like you can become something and you want to be able to maintain the feeling of joy and not give in to fears which can sometimes even be irrational. You don't need to prove yourself to anyone, only you. I know that things are hard and lonely sometimes and sometimes it feels like your stuck and you just want things to change overnight but they don't just go away because you want them to. In fact, they don't go away at all, you simply learn to live with them and use them to your advantage. I promise you things will get better but not without a little bit of help.

I know that it is hard to talk about the things that you have done to mask the pain that you've been living with for so long and that for the first time you have to be honest and there is nothing more painful than that and that I do know. No one has an excuse to hurt you, not because you were blackout drunk, not because you were too frozen to say no and certainly not because you are just a woman. This also means that you have no excuse to hurt yourself, that you have to love yourself and respect yourself so that other people can too. I need you to know that you are everything that you are for good reason and God made you as you are because that's exactly how He wanted you. You are loving and you are kind.

Why not give some of that loving and kindness to yourself for once?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
an image of taylor swift standing center stage surrounded by her backup dancers in elegant peacock esque outfits with a backdrop of clouds and a box rising above the stage the image captures the vibrant aesthetics and energy of her performance during the lover era of her eras tour
StableDiffusion

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

81433
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

9101
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments