To the people who hold me up when my knees give out and I start tumbling to the floor, thank you. Thank you for being my extra pair of legs when mine refuse to work. For letting me lean on your strength when I’m convinced the rest of the world wants me face down in the dirt. Thank you for stabilizing, for staying planted in the ground, for giving me a foundation from which to stand back up on.
Whenever I’m clumsy and fall, you’re there to help me up.
To the people who tell me it’s okay to feel too much, thank you. Thank you for understanding my sensitive heart and never telling me it has to harden. You let me love loudly and openly. You remind me not everything is supposed to fit into a box. Some things spill out.
On even my messiest days, you still care.
To the people who encourage my voice even when it breaks, thank you. Thank you for reminding me that my perspective is important. There are days I stay silent and those when I have to speak up. You respect them both.
I love you for that.
To the people who know me for who I am, EXACTLY who I am, and still stick around, thank you. Thank you for seeing the cracks and bruises and choosing to stay. Thank you for knowing I’m not always the person I pretend to be, and loving my roots. You’ve seen me at my darkest, my most troubled, when the mask dropped and the real me oozed out. And you told me I was worth it. You told me nothing changed.
To the people who love me even when I’m my most unlovable, thank you.
Thank you for showing me the meaning of friendship, guidance, and affection. You are the good in this world. You are the reason I’m starting to see the good in me, too.
By Ari Eastman for ThoughtCatalog