With Back To School season upon us, it’s made me think about how nervous I used to get for a new year. How much stress I put myself through. How many “School Survival Guides” I read in the hopes that somehow, I’d miraculously be a new person, ready for everything. I’m a junior in high school this year, and while yes I still put myself through stress and I still worry, I’ve grown a lot. I discovered that my mom is almost always right, that makeup and Starbucks don’t make a person cool, and most importantly, I don’t need to be a “new year, new me” like all of the survival guides said. I found this quote: “There’s a future version of you that’s proud you were strong enough to make it.” I loved it so much I printed it out on a big piece of paper and hung it above my desk. It inspired me to write this, a note to all of the girls worrying about going back to school, to our past selves who were scared they weren’t going to fit in, to us-the strong young, women those girls have become: In hopes that this school year, we go back knowing that we are READY.
You are enough.
Your worth is not the grade atop a page.
The girl you see in the mirror every morning is trying her best every day, treat her gently.
The rest of your life is not determined by one moment.
You are capable of everything you set your mind to.
There will be heartbreak, there will be some loss, there will be hurt feelings.
But there will also be best friends, love, and beautiful memories to last a lifetime.
School is a place of learning and growing- you don’t have to walk out the same person you walked in.
No boy, no rumor, no drama, no grade is enough to lose sleep over.
Today you are loved.
Tomorrow you are loved.
And every day you are worth it.
You are enough.
And you are READY.
