Dear Little Me,
A lot have changed since the last time you played with your dolls. Not only have you changed but everything you hold dear has as well. Your mom has grown into an even stronger and more amazing woman, your aunts and uncles have matured and made their own families, the house you used to run around in is miles away from where you live now and the world has somehow become a darker, more bitter place. But you? You are the one that changed the most. And I'm not talking about how much taller you got.
You aren't the shy, insecure little girl that sat in the corner and wished to be like the other girls anymore. You are stronger now. I know that is a little hard to believe, but trust me, little one, you make it and you make it far. Well, maybe not hollywood-far but you do make it to college. I know that that is a little hard to believe but that's not the best of it. You are happy now. Life is good. Even if you don't have everything you ever wanted, you have everything you ever needed, you are happy with yourself.
You spent so much time being insecure, biting your tongue when the mean kids said hurtful things and you never even imagined that you would ever be brave enough to stand up to them. But guess what? You do stand up to them. Granted, it took some time and by the time you do it's already a little too late, they already did the damage, but the pain eventually goes away.
If only you knew then what I know now then. You should have spoken a little louder. Told the world what you were thinking because, trust me, you are brilliant. You should have said your opinion out loud. Don't spend so much energy biting your tongue, letting things slide, doing what they want you to do simply because you don't dare to speak up.
You should have realized before that your looks didn't dictate your life. It didn't matter if you were chubby or if your hair was too big, you were still special, you were still valuable and ,most importantly, you were loved by those who really mattered, anyway. For the love of God, you didn't have to spend so much time bettering yourself because you didn't even need to! You should have held your head up high and you certainly should have learned to use that middle finger a lot sooner.
Listen, the only reason why I am telling you to do all of this things is because when you finally do, life is a lot easier. I would know. Now that you are 19 years old, you may not have that huge castle and that pony you really wanted but now you know how to love and be loved, which is all you really need. You are strong minded and you speak up. You are proud and you don't let anybody hold you down. Nobody walks over you because you don't let them, and that? That makes all the difference in the world. You have come a long way but you still have a long, rocky road ahead of you. I know you will make it because I know how much you have learned through the years, after all, you have the scars to prove it.
