I love you because you pushed me down and humiliated me

 love you because… you pushed me down and humiliated me.
 
I am an encourager. One of those people that looks, and can usually find, something good about every situation. Whether it’s something I’ve gone through or something someone else happens to go through, I’ll find the ray of sunshine. I found out a few years ago, during the time I like to call the “age of enlightenment”, that even the smallest of positivity in some one’s daily life can make or break an entire week. I had plenty of people that believed in me and always told me I could do whatever I put my mind to. But, like many of the other 12-14 year olds entering middle school, there were just as many people to push me down and tell me I couldn’t do what I wanted, and my potential is limited. If you hear something enough, you will believe it. Basics of brainwashing. So the “middle-earth battlefield” as I will refer to it, became the grounds that shaped who I am now. The many children who laughed because I was a nerdy, plastic-pink-glasses wearing, modest, hippie channeling girl that was for most cases younger by almost a year than all my classmates, every day at school was a struggle. And every day I heard from my mom and dad how I was smart and beautiful and unique. Then I would go to school for 8 hours and be told how ugly, dumb and ordinary I was. Nothing is more damaging to a female (male too, but not sure) than being told you are “ordinary”. In some cases I was told I was different, which back then I actually believed was a bad thing. Every day the battle ensued, and every day I lost a little more innocence and purity. I was pretty sheltered, but there are some things your parents just can’t protect you from. As much as it hurt then, I began to build a fence, one that chose to see only the good in people, the one that allows me to forgive and usually forget quickly. I began to accept the things they told me, and achieve to overcome them. I turned into a young adult that made some very poor choices and my life took an incredible turn into the unknown and “forbidden” direction. I began to take every person’s “you can’t do that” for a challenge, overcoming obstacle after obstacle. I love now, being told I can’t do something, just to see the look on the face of the challenger that told me that to begin with, when I complete whatever was “unobtainable”. So I love you all class of 92′ bear creek middle, for making me so strong none of you can touch me. I encourage every chance I get. To anyone I can. Show them love, trust and encouragement as often as possible. Maybe my doing this, we can shape the future to be better than the past was.