Dear “Weird” Kid,
I can see you, I know you think I can’t, and no one else does either. Today, you drape yourself in black to blend in, but have dyed your hair bright, fluorescent pink. Each day, you walk a tedious line, a frighteningly delicate balance, craving to be seen for whom you are, and the desire to hide. Dear “Weird” Kid. We spent 2 years together while you walked the hall and got books from your locker; I heard the other kids call you horrible, horrible names, and instead of standing up for you, I ducked my head and kept on walking Dear “Weird” Kid: I can tell through the longing in your eyes, you want to be seen, and you quietly draw attention to yourself, hoping someone will notice you for who you are. You aren’t sure if we can see you, but you walk the line again, styling your hair so it’s not ridiculed but leaving it messy enough to look effortlessly cool. Your body is how you represent yourself because it’s all that’s left. We’re too self absorbed to stop and listen to what you have to say, but we’re not the people who you want listening anyway. Dear “Weird” Kid: How do I know? You reveal it everyday. The way you dress, carry yourself and speak, forces you to considered something different than the masses. You don’t fit into the box of nerd, jock, popular, pretty, or partier. You manage to fit into them all. Throughout a day, you may represent each box that society believes you should fit into, but you truly don’t. You are teaching us all that we can be our individual selves. We can learn to march to the beat of our own drum. You’ve never cared about what box you fit in, instead, you demand we see you for yourself and to honor your individual choice, thereby embracing our own. You are the new reality, but the world has yet to realize it. Dear “Weird” Kid: Don’t stop what you are doing. Don’t start conforming. Continue to be true to you. Be weird and misunderstood. We’ll come around, eventually. As you are yourself, you empower others to step into their own skin. You show them how. Dear “Weird” Kid: When you think you are flying below the radar, when you feel small and scared, know that I see you. I honor you and your journey. I value all you have come to teach me. When it feels too much, know that you are not alone. I see you. And, I appreciate you exactly as you are.
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June 2017
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