Dear Friend,

I have a couple pieces of advice that I think would be detrimental to your future because I have already experienced these adversities and I’ve overcome them one by one. I will start with my biggest “burden”: my sexuality. It’s not the easiest thing to do; being yourself will always seem to be your biggest struggle in today’s society. My mother would always say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’’ But, I simply couldn’t make anything. I was lost; I was blinded by other people with their judgment. See, being open about my sexuality wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s more, “You’re gay; does your mom know, and do you like me?”  Yes, when you first come out, you’re afraid of what your parents will say, but my mother was loving and supportive. However, you know that there may always be a side of your parents that has what my dad likes to call “hope.” They may support and love, but some part of them wishes to see you another way and you have to learn to deal with that. As a parent, they protect and love, not judge and hate. So, they are still going to support, no matter what they wish. They want you to be happy more than anything else. This isn’t me trying to lecture you. This is me trying to tell you be who you are. Don’t be afraid to be yourself; you cannot live your life in fear of words or thoughts of other people.

Another obstacle or adversity I will touch on is behavior, specifically mine. I am what you would consider a “special case.” I have ADHD, ODD, IED, Bipolar, and an anger management issue, which comes with my mood disorder. Although, I would say I do a pretty good job of controlling it now. The reason why I say now is because literally from Kindergarten-8th grade I was suspended about sixty five times. In 6th grade, I was suspended twenty five times. In kindergarten, I threw trash cans and I did that till about 5th grade. When I was in first grade, I fell in love with my teacher, which was the most terrible thing ever. It was so strange how it all happened. I also tried to cut my first grade teacher’s hair because they said they needed a haircut. But, I was a child with many disorders, which most call “disabilities.” I was horrible; I did things that I regret and my behavior in an out of school got me in all sorts of trouble.  I had at least eight run-ins with the police because I was outside doing things to make a little bit of side money. No harm done, just a couple packs of “readies” and “hard,” not like it was a choice. I almost got 6-18 months just recently for something I’d rather not talk about, but long story short, nothing is ever worth your freedom. The moral of my essay is to say be who you are and stay out of trouble; learn from your mistakes.

This isn’t even half of everything I’ve been through because there are no words to describe my situation or the predicaments I get myself into. All I can say is, if it’s still hard, it’s not over  It might seem  hard all the time, but just think, someone somewhere  in the world is going through something two times, three  times as horrific as you. I want you to stay strong, keep pushing, and love yourself. I love my flaws; I consider them as gifts because everything happens for a reason. You must learn if you intend to move forward. My personal advice to you is this, dear friend: the only way forward is to build off of your back. There is love in the world and there is good in everyone; they just choose to do what they do and be how they are. Everything is a choice, so make your decision and pray that the odds are in your favor. Think well, do well, and be well. So heed my advice:  life is a dance and you can never stop grooving until you choose to take five. Don’t let anyone else dictate your life to you.