Another Year

Exactly one year ago, I posted this–

 

I am going to take this moment right here to be proud of myself.

Since this picture was taken, I’ve come so far. Not that things were bad then or anything; I was just a completely different person.

Since this picture was taken, I’ve made new, incredible relationships and friendships. I’ve learned from them and laughed in the midst of them and I cannot be any prouder of the people I choose to surround myself with.

Since this picture was taken, I’ve accomplished so many things I had never even dreamed of at the time.

Since this picture was taken, I’ve taken on a new mindset and attitude, and have found a beautiful new way of perceiving the world and my life, taking advantage of opportunities presented to me.

Now, with only 2 weeks of school left of the first half of my junior year, I just have to keep pushing myself and finish what I started. This year so far has been a year of excellence, and I refuse to settle for less.

The person in this picture is not me, at least, not anymore. That person right there on that hill is just a girl I can thank for enduring all of the experiences and hardships that I have learned from, so that I don’t have to suffer in the future.

Thanks to her, I know what I am capable of. I realized that can be confident and strong. I realized that I can take control of any situation and emotion that I want. I realized my limits, and later realized the fact that, really, I have none. Life is limitless; it’s just a matter of convincing yourself that.

Since this picture was taken, that girl on that hill has become someone she can feel proud of. She doesn’t feel like she has to shy away from her first and last name.

She is exceptional.

And I don’t think I’ve taken enough time out of my days to properly love myself and what I’ve done in these past 6 months.

So please do the same and love yourself as well. You deserve it.

Thanks for reading 🙂

And well, it’s December 7th again, and it’s been another big year, and in honor of National Letter Writing Day, I have decided to write a letter to myself from one year ago, the time that I wrote this letter.

—–

Dear Izzy (from one year ago),

I am proud of you for taking that moment to love yourself because that was the start of an era spent in security and pure ambition.

You have a huge year ahead of you, and you know it.

Well, actually you don’t know it. You don’t know how incredible Les Mis will be, and you don’t know how much school you can miss and still succeed. You don’t know how many hours you’ll spend in downward dog or child’s pose, and you don’t know that your brother is planning a surprise party for you in 20 days and that you’ll receive an acceptance letter in 3.

You don’t know how high you can fly. You don’t know how much you are capable of admiring a single person, and you don’t know that your voice matters.

How many times you’ll say “I love you” and mean it, how big your aspirations will grow and how deep your emotions can actually run. How hard you can cry and how late you can stay up. How hard you can push, how many miles you can run without throwing up, and how much you can lift. How big you can smile and how many secrets you can keep.

You don’t know any of that yet.

You do know that you feel scared sometimes, and feel anxious about the future, and wish nothing more than to walk paths of certainty rather than floating about in space.

You do know that you feel like you speak too much and sometimes don’t like how big your cheeks get and feel like you don’t tell your golden retriever, “I love you” enough, and you feel like you hoard too many papers because you’re scared to throw something precious away.

But, what I want you to know is that everything will be okay. You will learn how to walk in your own shoes. You will learn how to talk to adults and how beautiful the sky is no matter the weather. You will learn that laughter can make your cheeks warm, and you’ll learn that you don’t hate your arms or your shoulders.

You’ll learn that everyone has a different kind of success and that you can stop comparing yourself to others. You’ll learn that you love way too deep sometimes, and that’s not even a bad thing.

You will grow into your skin beautifully, an even better fit than what you sport right now.

You’re about to have some of the best days of your life in these next 12 months, and I wish you the best of luck. I promise you’ll get through it. Just never give up and don’t lose yourself on the way.

Please, remember to not only lift yourself up but also those around you. You’ll get some bright idea to start a blog to carry this out, however, don’t forget to walk what you talk.

Keep your chin up and don’t shy away from eye contact. Smile, take a deep breath, encourage those around you, and be tactful with your words. Be careful, and be kind.

I believe in you.

To the stars-

Love,

You (in a year)