We can all pretend only for so long, run around in our imagination and take strolls in our mind. And when reality hits we will wonder where all our time went. We’ll carefully count all the steps we walked, and realize we walked miles in our heads, but never truly got anywhere. We’ll remember all the jokes we told in our heads and how we laughed on the inside, yet we never truly smiled. Why do we live our lives so hidden from everyone else? We could be so beautiful if we only let ourselves blossom with each other. Learn to love yourself, because I love you. We all have those things that stare back at us in the mirror that make us want to go run and cry. But we mustn’t, we must stare that pain in the face; that child that’s crying. And embrace it, and tell yourself that you are beautiful, because YOU beat that moment of pure fear and misery. Be proud of yourself because you stood tall when others have fallen. Be proud because you picked yourself back up. Look that misery and hurt in the face, and tell it that those monsters are no more. Don’t shun and hate yourself because of things you can’t control. Take control of you, and love you. I love you as you are, and so should you. So stand up, dust yourself off, and walk down that path that waits for you, and don’t even for a second look back. 

~Anna