Aria

I blinked and somehow you’re eighteen. It’s so different growing up alongside someone versus watching them. I remember holding you when you were little and your cries sounded like baby sheep. I remember picking you up from kindergarten, taking you to ballet, watching you move through each version of yourself without even realizing you were becoming someone whole. I remember all of it. I left home ten years ago, and now it’s your turn. I could hand you a list of things I wish I’d known, but most of it only makes sense once you live it for yourself. So just this: hard days aren’t interruptions, they’re instructions. Let them shape you instead of convincing you to shrink. Don’t put your lover’s on a pedestal, it turns a person into a projection, and a relationship into a performance. The world isn’t as scary once you start moving through it on your own terms, especially when you’re out there on your own, traveling, letting new places and moments open you up. Call mom, even when you don’t feel like it. She’ll feel the absence in ways you won’t yet. Don’t rush to explain your feelings away. Sit with them long enough that they tell you the truth. Life isn’t about being right or finding someone to blame, it’s about how you carry what happens to you, and who you decide to become afterward. Be real, even when it costs you something. That’s where your life actually starts 🤍