Once upon a time, there was a little girl who used to throw on whatever clothes she could find, run outside and spend hours in the dirt... building a village in her sandbox, riding her bike through puddles, falling and scraping her knees so frequently that it seemed she had permanent scabs, catching caterpillars, frogs and whatever other critters she could find... all the while without a care in the world.
Fast forward some years and that same girl thought she was grown up. She stopped listening to her parents (because she knew better than them), she caked on layer after layer of makeup until she looked like a mixture of cleopatra and a clown (because she wasn't pretty enough), she gave her brothers an attitude and only wanted to be around her punk friends (because they were cooler than her family). She stopped finding pleasure in simply things like dirt and caterpillars and became disgustingly superficial.
Well, that girl somehow found her way. It didn't happen overnight. It actually seemed to take a really long time. She made sure to date all the wrong guys along the way, disappointed a lot of people and there were plenty of opportunities for those people to say "I told you so." But she finally figured it out. Finally.
Today, that same girl who always wanted to fit in, would now prefer to be the outcast (because being like everyone else is so boring). She no longer cares if she's the one off to the side by herself or if someone thinks she's weird for not drinking as much as everyone else because their opinions never mattered. She went from wearing skirts that were far too short and a mask of makeup to a variety of gym clothes, scrubs, or jeans and a t-shirt... and finally feeling pretty for the first time. These days, no matter how much time she spends with her family, it's still never enough. And those "friends" she used to have, she hasn't thought about them since she can remember.
Things besides being popular and pretty became incredibly important. Things like integrity, hard work, loyalty, humility and compassion became part of her everyday life... qualities she tried to live by. Ironically, her life has come nearly full circle. Dirt and animals are her happy place again. She waits all week for a quiet night at home and doesn't feel like she is missing something when she didn't make that party or bar gathering. Her knees aren't usually cut up anymore, but her hands are calloused and ripped from hours holding a barbell. Life has become simple again.
Now don't be mistaken; she is not perfect by any means. There are still days she feels insecure, overwhelmed and life seems to get the best of her. She still beats herself up from time to time because she holds herself to standards that are higher than feasible. Sometimes she is a bitch to be around and one of the most stubborn people you'll ever meet. But everyday she wakes up with the same mindset... to be better than yesterday and not take a single second for granted.
I think she's doing a pretty good job at this thing called life and the person she's become is one she can be proud of... but maybe I'm a little biased.
Fast forward some years and that same girl thought she was grown up. She stopped listening to her parents (because she knew better than them), she caked on layer after layer of makeup until she looked like a mixture of cleopatra and a clown (because she wasn't pretty enough), she gave her brothers an attitude and only wanted to be around her punk friends (because they were cooler than her family). She stopped finding pleasure in simply things like dirt and caterpillars and became disgustingly superficial.
Well, that girl somehow found her way. It didn't happen overnight. It actually seemed to take a really long time. She made sure to date all the wrong guys along the way, disappointed a lot of people and there were plenty of opportunities for those people to say "I told you so." But she finally figured it out. Finally.
Today, that same girl who always wanted to fit in, would now prefer to be the outcast (because being like everyone else is so boring). She no longer cares if she's the one off to the side by herself or if someone thinks she's weird for not drinking as much as everyone else because their opinions never mattered. She went from wearing skirts that were far too short and a mask of makeup to a variety of gym clothes, scrubs, or jeans and a t-shirt... and finally feeling pretty for the first time. These days, no matter how much time she spends with her family, it's still never enough. And those "friends" she used to have, she hasn't thought about them since she can remember.
Things besides being popular and pretty became incredibly important. Things like integrity, hard work, loyalty, humility and compassion became part of her everyday life... qualities she tried to live by. Ironically, her life has come nearly full circle. Dirt and animals are her happy place again. She waits all week for a quiet night at home and doesn't feel like she is missing something when she didn't make that party or bar gathering. Her knees aren't usually cut up anymore, but her hands are calloused and ripped from hours holding a barbell. Life has become simple again.
Now don't be mistaken; she is not perfect by any means. There are still days she feels insecure, overwhelmed and life seems to get the best of her. She still beats herself up from time to time because she holds herself to standards that are higher than feasible. Sometimes she is a bitch to be around and one of the most stubborn people you'll ever meet. But everyday she wakes up with the same mindset... to be better than yesterday and not take a single second for granted.
I think she's doing a pretty good job at this thing called life and the person she's become is one she can be proud of... but maybe I'm a little biased.
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