I Am Still That Kid

All I want is to be:
loved
seen
understood
& belong

But Isn't that what everyone wants?

Then why are we so quick to judge
hurt each other
put each other down
and criticize?

Instead of building each other up
Encouraging one another
Loving and accepting each other unconditionally
Giving each other what we know we desperately need and want?

As the saying goes "Treat others how you want to be treated"
But what if I don't treat myself so well?
What if the way I talk to myself isn't so kind?

I was given advice one time that I should imagine myself as a child:
Young, innocent, and beaming with curiosity about the world

Would I want to tell my chubby checked, happy go lucky younger self that she is unlovable?
Would I want to tell the little girl who always had a smile on her face while she climbed trees and played in the dirt that she is ugly?

Would I want to tell the kid who ate a whole cone of chocolate chip mint ice cream, with out a second thought other than the fact that it would bring her joy that she is unworthy because the body she has been given?

Would I tell this kid that she is not enough?

No, that would be absurd

I would want to tell her:
She is beautiful
She is worthy
She is loved
She is enough

I would want to tell her that she is capable
Capable of hiking up mountains with those little legs
Holding mom's homemade pancakes with that chubby tummy
Singing beautiful songs with those lips even if a bit tone deaf
Dancing to the beat of her own wacky drum
Giving bear hugs with those skinny arms
And walking on all 7 continents with those tiny feet even if it is with a little bit of a limp

I would tell this silly kid who loved to wear rugrats t-shirts & purple fanny packs, and stick out her tongue in pictures that she will flourish
That she will grow up to be a kind, compassionate, and successful human being
That she is safe to be her perfectly imperfect, goofy, awkward self and live her most authentic life
That she is safe to dream the biggest, wildest, and craziest dreams that her creative brain can think up
She is capable of making the most beautiful story of this one precious life come true


I must remember that I am still that kid
I deserve my love and respect just as much as anyone else.

If  I saw all the acts of kindness I give
I would see all the goodness I leave behind
How bright I make the world
And the impact I have on others
I will realize then that I sincerely
In the grandest sense
Matter in this world
And so do you