the lovelies | graduation day

today is your 5^th grade graduation. as you hang up your backpacks filled from 6 years of elementary school, i feel like i’m swallowing the sun. i am both expectant and empty, knowing part of what lies ahead from here is your burgeoning independence. writing is how i turn my worry into LOVE, so while you were nestled next to each other this morning, filling the air with warm whispers, i composed a little commencement speech. perhaps it’s my wild imaginings but maybe a few of these will stay with you as your journey widens.

1. life is a series of adjustments. sometimes you’re up; sometimes you’re down; it will always change.
2. be kind. not everyone will deserve it, but it’s the difference between trying to catch a rock or a pillow. what you put out there will come back.
3. choose people who choose you. but don’t spend time with those who think it is your job to make them happy. invest that effort into yourself.
4. practice saying NO instead of MAYBE now. trust me, it’ll save you SO much grief later in life.
5. don’t sweat the mistakes. they are your best teachers. but pay attention to others’ mistakes, too, so you don’t have to make them all on your own.
6. when someone is mean, bless them and keep moving. and take note: how they speak to you is how they speak to themselves.
7. if you find yourself in the wrong story, just leave. no explanations, no apologies, no hesitation necessary. ever. it’s good to know how to rescue yourself.
8. choosing your thoughts is way more important than what you wear. this might become confusing when you’re a teenager, but happiness is what makes us glow.
9. you asked me the other night, “why do we know what’s going to happen next in a nightmare, but in dreams, we don’t know what to expect?” nightmares are like problems, and i believe we already have the answers for most of ours if we will get still + silent. dreams are like life – each one brimming with delicious possibilities so stay open to magic + miracles. let yours surprise you.
10. i believe in you. you were once just a bundle of cells that flourished into a free spirit of light + love. you carry that everywhere. but if you get lost, and we sometimes do, i will see that for you, even when you can’t. and especially when you won’t.
11. you are imperfectly perfect – this will be true the rest of your life.

find a way to hold onto who you are today, in this very moment. lean into her often + adore her, no matter your age. so many of us lose sight of our creativity + wonder, and spend our lives chasing things, trying to cope for its loss. who you are right now — full of imagination — matters SO much, and it’s a necessary ingredient for a good life.

every single word here is simply too small for my feelings. but if i distilled them all down to one thought, hold this in your heart. YOU ARE LOVE, and YOU ARE LOVED.

xo