“Forget what they say,
there’s not a thing that you should change.
‘Cause you’re amazing,
just the way you are.
Be yourself with a smile,
the whole world will stop and stare for awhile,
‘Cause you’re amazing,
just the way you are.”
This is for Tommy,
the boy walking down the hall
with a fifty pound backpack and his head hanging down.
For Katie,
the girl who always volunteers to put the equipment away after P.E.
just so that no one was in the locker room when she’s changing.
For Chad,
the star of the football team
who hides his poetry book behind his playbook.
For Tiffany,
the homecoming queen who forces on a smile
even though she lost the only real reason she had to a long time ago.
I see you.
I get you,
in ways you never thought that anyone else could.
Tommy,
I know that along with the papers and book in that backpack,
you carry the weight of the world.
Working hard,
trying to get yourself out of the situation you find yourself in.
You see the stares.
You hear the rumors.
Just keep pushing.
Do what you got to do.
And remember,
it okay to ask for help sometimes.
Katie,
I know what happened freshmen year still hurts.
Add that to the billboards, music videos and magazines
thrown at you every five minutes,
it is easy to feel;
inadequate,
that you don’t fit some mold that society has created for you.
And I’m here to tell you that you don’t.
Mold are used for things that are mass produced
and you, Katie, are one of a kind.
You are unique.
You are beautiful.
But that doesn’t mean a thing
until you believe it.
Chad,
I know its hard living in the shadow of the family legacy.
You’re stuck at a school where your last name has become synonymous
with championships,
with winning,
with titles,
with MVP,
with just about everything,
except poetry.
Which is the only thing you truly feel accomplished in.
Trophies and plaques fill your room
but nothing feels as good as writing that last line.
Embrace that.
Share that.
As good as it feels to get those words on paper,
it feels that much better to share them with the people you care for.
Tiffany,
I know that it is easy to get caught up in the craziness of life.
You find yourself surrounded by so many people
and it is easier to go along with the crowd
than to stand up for what you believe in;
who you care for.
I know you what happened freshman year kills you inside.
I see how you always look back towards her as you pass in the hall.
Know that it is not too late.
There is always time to stand up for what you believe in;
who you care for.
The ones who matter will still be there when you do.
So this was for you.
For the Tommy’s,
for the Katie’s,
for the Chad’s,
for the Tiffany’s.
For anyone,
anyone who has ever felt that they weren’t enough of something
or too much of that.
That you are alone in the world.
Know that you are not.
That all you need to be is yourself.
That there is nothing that you need to change.
‘Cause you are amazing,
just the way you are…
