Don’t Let Her Down

That 5-year-old girl who didn’t know better than to believe in imaginary friends and far away places, where being anything at all was not questionable, but expected. That girl with that braided hair and those wide, eager eyes who saw beauty in old, ragged dress-up clothes and in the mud of the front yard that could be turned into cakes and pies, doughnuts and cookies for a tea party with a very wise queen. That girl who wanted to be everything she could think of: a trapeze artist, a sculptor, the President of the United States, a teacher, a preacher, a princess, Lois Lane, a warrior jet fighter, a this and a that. That girl who never told herself she wasn’t pretty enough or smart enough, that wishing and hoping could make things come true, that by simply being herself, she would grow up to be not just something, but a someone. A big, big someone.

Don’t let that girl down. Chase your dreams, no matter how far-fetched they might seem or how much you’ve forgotten how to run.

That 10-year-old girl who insisted on getting certified as a babysitter so she could have her very own babysitters club (with all of her best friends). That girl who didn’t think twice before jumping from patio furniture to table, from one side of the kitchen counter to the other, performing an elaborate dance routine to the Spice Girls for her parents, the cat and the dog. That girl who wore the same bracelet she made for weeks beyond end, not caring if it was in style or matched her clothes or was part of the popular kid’s approval list. That girl who stood up to the mean guy on the bus who commented – inappropriately – on the body she hadn’t grown into mentally, who wouldn’t stand for someone talking down to her, especially for something her mother called “breasts.” That girl who was awkward and probably obnoxious, sporting crooked teeth and the first signs of acne – but more than anything, she was herself.

Don’t let that girl down. Be brave enough to be who you are, wherever you are, whatever you do, whoever you’re around or puts you down.

That 15-year-old girl who fell so hard, so fast for that skinny kid in the hallways who played football and brought her flowers on the weekends. That girl who expected – and ahem, demanded – to be treated with respect, with patience and with sweetness because she knew she was worth it (and wasn’t willing to give up that V card for just anyone). That girl who expressed her high expectations for romance and wouldn’t back down if they weren’t met, that girl who wrote love notes in class and found replies in her locker from her very first boyfriend, her love. That girl who scribbled hundreds of pages detailing every kiss, every first, every word, every everything because it was all so fresh, so exciting, so precious. That girl who never worried about saying the right things or being too much or asking for the moon when the stars would simply do. That girl who believed in love with so much conviction, who wrote about it before she was published anywhere, that girl who didn’t accept the ordinary in anything, and especially not in love.

Don’t let that girl down. There are many things that you’ll settle for in life, but the person you choose to spend your life (or um, high school) shouldn’t be one of them.

That 21-year-old girl who bought a one-way ticket to write her way to the top. That girl who thought New York would be something so much different than what it was, that girl who refused to agree that dating in the city was hard, until it was, that girl who had to lose all that she had to figure out who she was. That girl who failed so many times over so many years in Manhattan, only to find that every stumble, every setback brought her one tired, cramped, exhausted step closer to where she needed to be. That girl who could survive off of blind ambition and red wine, who gets frustrated and sometimes disappointed that the glittering streets don’t always have their luster. That girl who falls in and out of love with the life she’s built, day after day, but always find something to be thankful for, and something to look forward to. That girl who could have packed up her bags at any point, thrown in the towel and tucked her tail and headed back to where everything is seemingly easier. But… didn’t. Hasn’t. Won’t ever.

Don’t let that girl down. You never know what you’re capable of until you refuse to give up until you get where you’re going.

Because really, you’ve always been that girl – even as you’ve grown and changed – she’s always been there. And if you want to let yourself down, go ahead.

But don’t let her down. She’s been waiting too long for those silly wishes, working too hard to reach those lofty goals, hoping too much for that great love... to turn around now.