Are you ready for the good news, now?

I’m no stranger to trauma, though, I wish I could tell you differently. Like many others in this world, I’ve grown up in a chaotic battle for attention from a parent that chose their path. Little did I know - I was chasing after that parent, barefoot on a gravel backroad somewhere, in the middle of nowhere - for 20 years.

No, that’s not the only chaotic detail about my life, but it’s one that I had let define me for entirely too long. It was my go-to excuse, you know, I was the girl with... daddy issues. So quick to just blame every inconvenience I ran into, on the fact that I grew up without a steady father figure for so long.

I spent countless days wondering where he went, when would he call, would he show up? And when other girls were planning their weddings at 9 years old on the playground, I was having anxiety attacks, wondering if my dad would even be around to walk me down an aisle.

WAIT! This isn’t some sappy self-pity post - No.

I let that absence define my life for entirely too long, so I'm choosing to let go, and he did too.

It's okay though, my pain has a purpose. Stick with me here, guys.

This is a post, not only for the kids that turned into adults who broke a vicious cycle, but it's also for the kids who feel like they are constantly failing, due to the negligence of another human being.

Are you ready for the good news yet?

GOOD.

I know you've probably had all the bad days, and bad news you could stand. But don't stop standing.

I know, you're thinking, “Don’t stop standing?? Huh??” Yes. I said what I said.

Don't stop standing up for what you know is right. One day, your strong-willed, too loud, “unwanted” opinion, will be the statement that changes someone's entire life, for the better.

Don't stop standing for the right to feel emotions. Those are YOUR feelings. No one else’s. Don't let someone belittle you for not catering to their need to tell you that you aren't valid in your hurt. One day, that right to feel emotions will change another person’s way of thinking, for the better.

Don't stop standing up for your true family, because one day, all of the hell that you've been through will be the story that you share to help guide them through a dark time of their own, and they'll always do the same for you. Your true family will love you, despite your brokeness, and they'll always make the hurt feel, a great deal better.

Typically, you can either choose to let these situations, or hard times drag you down - or you can take your life given lesson, and help better yourself by looking at life through an optimistic lense. It’s so much easier to just go with the hurt, and not fight back - but just imagine all of the positivity you can radiate into your world by learning to process and heal from your trauma. If you can’t see the beauty in it, let me tell you, once you do - it’s life altering in such a beautiful way.

No matter the situation, you’re allowed to hurt and your feelings are always valid -don’t let anyone take that from you. You’re allowed to grieve, hurt, wallow, feel, sit in self isolation, if you need to, for as long as you need to. I just want you to know that even though that darkness can be like the belly of a beast, and terrifying as hell, that you aren’t going to be sitting with the darkness in you forever, even though it feels like it. You see, those experiences where someone gave up on you, or told you that you weren’t going to ever be good enough for them - Yeah, I truly believe that those people don’t know who they’ve lost, and they don’t understand that the hell that they’ve put you through will soon become the reason you conquer the anxieties you’ve never had the strength to face head on.

And THAT.... that my friend, is so fiercefully beautiful. You are going to become the strength that you’ve always longed to have. Not only that, but you have the potential to that that strength and apply it to other people’s situations, and be a light of hope where someone important can’t see anything but storms for miles. You have to believe me, you are going to break SO many barriers, not only for you - but for so many people that you might not even no yet. The hurt you lived has the potential to mold you into a better human, friend, daughter, son, aunt, uncle, parent, teacher, coworker, boss, and so on. The possibilities are endless.

Hurt can be challenging, but you have no idea how many beautiful relationships you are going to create, and lives you may change, just by sharing your story and learning to take the high road, and healing.

You’re going to go far, kid.

So to the girls, boys, they/them’s, and etc. who may want to just give up their will to fight to stand on the worst days, this one’s for you.

This is me telling you that it gets better, and if it doesn't get better just know, your success story isn't over yet, and the best is yet to come.

If no one told you that they're proud of you today, just know, I am. And I always will be. Just please, don't stop standing.

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