When I look back to see my journey,

What paths do I see, what faces do I meet?

What weak sapling grew to a tree planted firmly?

What fears did I defeat?

 

When I look back a mere year ago,

I'm welcomed by a shy little thing.

16 years old, brace-lined teeth aglow, 

With sadness and struggle did she cling.

 

Afraid of every stranger, whether polite or not, 

She could barely raise her voice above the crowd.

Tried to wear a pretty face, always seemed so odd,

Hiding in the shadows, she didn't know how to be proud.

 

Then came the day that she took her first job,

Dressed as a Scot at the Renaissance Fair.

She stepped out of the sadows into the wide beyond,

She learned to dance with bagpipe music in the air.

 

The shy little girl did fade away, 

And I grew up in her place.

Strong-willed, strong mind, a smile at the day,

Of the cowardness, there isn't a trace.

 

I learned to be happy and to take the stress well,

I learned to make friends, not to fear.

Once a voice behind a screen, I am out of my shell,

All of this happened in a simple year.