#16

(This is for march madness, by the way. And it took longer than I’d care to admit. I hope you read it with patience, and an open mind.)

If Only For a Moment

You dont have to be what they want you to be.

I hope you look away from their expectations and just grow

and keep growing with reckless abandon

until you’re beautiful in your own eyes and you’re comfortable in your own skin.

I hope no matter what your father said

or didn’t say

you still go after your dreams in the middle of the night,

and chase them in the bright light of the afternoon, too.

Because a dream is never something to keep in the dark.

I hope you know that even if you don’t get very far in this madness in march,

you’re still worth the writing inside your heart and mind.

It’s still worth reading and it’s still worth letting it go.

Also, as much as your writing is worth letting go of,

You are worth holding onto.

I wonder who you are…

See, you could be like a bonsai tree, beautiful, but trapped and molded to perfection by everyone that isn’t you.

Or you could be a wildfire ripping through everyone else’s trees and destroying lives by the thousands, until you find what you’re looking for.

Or you could even be a sapling. Trying its best in the worst possible circumstances, yet never giving up, no matter how small everyone else says it is.

I hope whoever you are, you’re strong and you stand true to yourself, rooted in the ground, and in your purpose.

I hope you let them give you that hug and then I hope that you give it back.

And I hope you never let go of what makes you smile when all you want do is give up.

I hope you realize that this letter truly is for you.

The you that appears to fit in perfectly

The you that hasn’t given up yet

The you that is scared.

I know you are, and I know that you will be again.

And I know thats alright.

But more than that, I know that you’re going to change the world

if you let yourself.

I hope you hold onto your light and your favorite song and your best ideas.

But I hope you let go of the look on his face,

or the tear in her eye,

or the tone of their voices.

I hope you let yourself make mistakes until you make something you could never let go of. And I hope that as you read this it makes sense.

I hope it changes your life, if only for a millisecond.

And finally,

I hope you see that, if only for this moment, you mean the world to me.