Dear Taylor,
Thank you for serving as a role model in my life. You’ve gotten me through the worst times and even some of the best. I cannot thank you enough for being there when nobody else was.
Growing up, I never had many friends. I was one of the weird kids. As my peers were spending their weekends out with friends, I was listening to music alone. I was afraid I would never be able to establish friendships that would be maintained outside of classes. Then I saw your special on E!, and I finally began to feel okay. You spoke about also being the “weird” kid and not having many friends in school. You made me realize that these nights alone wouldn’t matter years from now, and that I would eventually find my niche. Thank you for telling me that I wouldn’t be alone for the rest of my life. Now, after many years, I feel accepted and have maintained healthy friendships.
You sing a lot about love, yet I have always been able to apply your lyrics to non-romantic aspects of my life. From mean girls, to broken friendships, and even struggles with anxiety, your music has been able to comfort me when I needed it most. Also, as I’ve gotten older and your music has evolved, I continue to relate to it as much as I could years prior. I really do feel like we have changed and grown together, so I am never alone in this transformation. Thank you for putting the feelings I couldn’t express into music in such a way that it could apply to multiple aspects and years of my life. Specifically, thank you for “Clean”, as you released it when I needed it most.
Thank you for inspiring me to be myself. For insisting I embrace my flaws rather than despise them. For reminding me that I don’t need a romantic partner to feel empowered, and that being alone is okay because it allows me to find myself. For encouraging me to get what I want and aim rather than to settle for what is given to me. For reminding me that who I am is not “what I did”, and therefore still deserve great things. For telling me that it is possible to “Begin Again.” Thank you for being my spirit mother, and providing me with music that pushes me through life and has contributed to the person I am today.
Thank you for everything,
Mary Kate
