once upon a time

i showed my age by holding up this many

i wanted to be an astronaut or a doctor

i was afraid of everything

but had an unwavering curiosity.

I went to school, came home, and did homework.

Sometimes it seemed never ending.

Sometimes it seemed to fast.

I started experimenting with different careers.

Could I be a veterinarian? Or a teacher?

I chose the latter.

All the sudden the wind shifted and I wasn’t at home anymore.

Well, I was home, but it didn’t feel like it.

Anxiety built up, I felt small,

It’s as if the whole world wished that I would crawl

Instead of run.

I started crying instead of laughing.

Rejecting rather than accepting.

I was shrinking and shrinking

Into my own skin.

Always wanting to get out,

Never feeling like I fit in.

Suddenly life thrusted me into where I am today,

And luckily, thank goodness, everything has changed.