Rise

written on 28 January 2018

Source: Emily’s Art Blog – http://www.ebleske.wordpress.com

Since a child I had a habit of patting myself on the head or heart saying “It’s okay. You’re okay.” 

I fell in love with the Moon and its twilight. The Sun and its abundant shine. The sky and all its stars and clouds, all the things that made me feel tiny; made my heart less heavy and my head less crowded. I had mastered picking myself up using nothing else but the air around me “breathe in, breathe out.” 

And two decades in, living in this skin, I felt like writing a note to 10 year old me and this goes out to anybody who can relate ~ 

“You will be hurt by big egos. Angered by unfathomable ignorance. Destructed by the destructive. Shamed for your expression. Labelled for your freedom. You will be wrongly gazed at. Wrongly touched. You will be assessed for petty things like the way you walk, or your make up or the size of your body, the clothes you wear, the circles you’re in, the way you let loose and have fun. You will be judged for being human, for hurting, for making mistakes and simply living. 

To many, your depth will hold no value. You will be called “Too much” “Too intense” “Melodramatic.” 

And the magnitude of the things you feel will be dismissed by those who don’t feel it. Some people will connect to your darkness more willingly than attempting to see your light, highlighting every flaw, pressuring you for perfection. And sometimes all the love you give will go unrecognised or unfathomed by those who are unfamiliar to it. You will witness sexist behaviour and hear nasty comments. Your worth will be measured by things that barely define you. You will try to correct the ones you care about, only to watch them willingly wallow in their ignorance and not even try to understand the things that are good for them and for the people around them. 

Not everyone will change for the better. Not everyone will stand up for truth. Not everyone will willingly raise their voices against injustice. You will be let go of to crash and burn on your own, you will be given up on and on some days you will feel unloved and unwanted, misunderstood, yet, expected to conform. It happens. No matter how careful you may be, it happens to all of us. 

I ask you, amongst all this, do not give up hope. Hold your head high and your heart strong. Hold company with yourself so sacred that you are what you need to heal. Keep learning through it all, keep growing. Rise with an abundance of love in your heart and give it quietly. Give it to all the hurters, they need more compassion, more guidance. Give it to the hurting. Give it to the spaces around you. Rise. Outshine the ignorance. Don’t let yourself be defined by stories, judgments or opinions, you are much much more. 

You are the sleepless nights filled with poetry. You are the dances you’ve danced. You are the tears you’ve shed, the love you’ve given, the hope you’ve shared, the pain you’ve endured, the people you’ve uplifted, the inspiration you’ve felt. You are passion. You are life. You are love. You are strength. You are all this and more. So take it all in and keep going. Don’t be disheartened. Don’t ever be afraid. Rise.”