You know who I think about a lot?
That young girl who comes home from a long day at school, where she's spent those hours surrounded by other young people with their various moods and hormones, under the hum of harsh florescent lighting, loud bells ringing, crowded hallways and lunchrooms...
Constantly navigating social groups and "norms"...constant sizing up, comparison, whether working her a$$ off to fit in or making just as much effort to avoid socializing altogether...
Not to mention the assignments, tests, expectations from teachers and admins, then add in the "extras"- clubs, sports, post-graduation plans.
Ugh. I think of ALL THE TALKING. And ALL THE TELLING.
Just, YADA, YADA, YAAAAAA DAAAAAA. All day long with the noise.
Mental, emotional and physical exhaustion.
And then she comes home. Needing to de-compress. Needing to go into her own space for a minute.
Heck, maybe she's off to a job. Or a practice. Or maybe she's responsible for taking care of siblings or chores around the house.
All while still carrying around the thoughts and experiences and questions and pressures from the 7a-3p work day she's just left but hasn't quite left her, yet.
And I wonder what it would be like for that young woman to come home to a place where she feels like she belongs.
JUST AS SHE IS TODAY.
Not being peppered with questions and comments about the world around her. Not being encouraged to give the outside world ANOTHER THOUGHT FOR NOW.
Without having to justify what she's wearing. Where she's going. What she dreams of doing. Without having to think, for the millionth time today, what her body looks like, what she's eaten, what she should do to make it smaller in some areas, more appealing in others.
Without being told that her friendship woes aren't the end of the world. Without being advised on what SHE can do differently to CHANGE how her peers behave.
Without having her stress dismissed because "just wait til you're an adult, THEN you'll know stress!"
If she can just take a deep inhale and rest her mind. Her body. Her spirit.
Does she have a safe place like that? Does she feel true belonging at home with her family? Does she feel she can return to a place she can always count on where she doesn't have to wear that uniform in order to truly be herself?
Someplace that feels GENTLE.
I think how if she does, that's not only amazing and special but NECESSARY.
And I think of you a lot too. Because I know you're just the perfect one to give her that space. And I'm so grateful to you for being her soft spot to land.
