Dear Reader,You are enough.

Dear Reader,

You are enough.

Commercials, schools, and employers can fool you into thinking that you need improvement-- you need to be thinner, you need more extra-curriculars, you're only valuable when you have 1-2 years of related experience or a 4.0 grade point average. But let me tell you you are not insufficient because someone dumped you. You are not defined by your employment. You are enough, my dearest Reader, and "enough" fits well in the right sorts of places.

I am not telling you to stop trying. No, always try, never give up. Reach for the star you want, but do so standing on the right sort of ground. Plant yourself, darling Reader, where people treat you like you are enough. Find friends who accept you. After all, they see you for the person behind the accomplishments and failures. And they will lift you up so you can catch that star you reach for.

What has the world taught you, that you cannot look at yourself in the mirror and be happy about what you see? Has the world told you that because you are overweight, you are undesirable? Has the world told you that because you didn't get straight A's, you are stupid? Well, if that's what our world has taught you, the world simply does not know you or the wonderful qualities you have--

--hey, stop that. No, shut up, you really do. But right now, you might just be feeling too sad to see them. But they are there, I promise, and you will see them once you truly start believing that you are enough.

You may not know it, but you helped someone out there. Maybe you smiled at someone, gave someone a hug, told them they were doing a good job, or gave them a simple compliment. You may have made someone's day or reinforced their faith in humanity. You may have gotten their mind off of something terrible. And with a society full of depressed people who ALSO think they are not enough, you made a difference. Your acts of kindness were never a waste.

You are enough, and I love you. I don't love you because of your accomplishments. I don't love you for your job. I love you because there is good in you. So even if you're hurting, even if you are crying, it's okay. Cry. There's no shame in it. You deserve to be loved nonetheless, and so, my fellow human, I love you. Whether you fail or succeed, whether you've hurt or healed someone, whether you love you or not,

You are
completely,
totally,
massively,
wonderfully
enough.