September 12

Even when you are surrounded by incredibly talented and gifted people, you still have your own strengths and gifts. Even if everything seems to be lining up for them and they tell the most wonderful stories with the work they do, that doesn't mean there won't be a place for you.

There may have been times when doors closed even before you could knock on them, and there may have been times when you saw others suddenly delighting in the joys of things you had been dreaming of for years. In that space, you are free to feel what you need to feel.

You are free to be kind to yourself as you notice how you feel in your body. You are free to take as much time as you need to rest and come back later, ready to continue to go deeper in exploring all the beautiful things that make you unique, even in the waiting.

Even here, there are things unique to you that are worth nurturing.

There is a way you tell a story that is slightly different from how your siblings tell it.

There is a certain kind of flower that speaks to you more than the others.

There is a way you phrase questions, a way you do math in your head, and a reason you keep listening to that same song over and over again — these small things are not mere fragments. They are a part of who you are. This is art. These are just a few hints of the many things that make you who you are... and there are still strengths, gifts, and new stories waiting to rise up from within you.