Dear… is a new series of articles that Label will be posting. Throughout this series, people will share open letters addressed to anyone from boyfriends, friends, family to even pets. These open letters allow for us to explore the minds of others and their deepest thoughts. From personal journeys to self-discovery, this is a series that is worth looking out for and giving a read.
Volunteer writer, Hannah Whittam, adds to the ‘Dear…’ series with a lovely letter with an important message addressing anyone feeling lost or insignificant.
Dear… anyone feeling lost or insignificant:
You’re doing just fine, more than fine actually, you’re incredible.
I know it can feel like you’re invisible, floating along without making any real impact on the world. But it is okay to feel like that, how could you not? When we can tap into the highlights of everyone else’s lives, you aren’t going to feel significant.
But you are.
The strangers you smile at on the street when you walk past, you could have made their day. The way you make sure that the people you care about know it, that saves them, saves them from the feeling of never being asked ‘are you alright?’. You mess up sometimes, you cry, you shout but you show other people that it is okay not to hide, to be authentic. When you apologise, that one word ‘sorry’ doesn’t feel like much, but when you mean it, you show people that it’s just who we are. That we aren’t perfect and when we mess up the damage isn’t always terminal, if we choose to, we can repair it. Life goes on and with it, we gain valuable lessons.
All these things may be insignificant to you, but they make a difference. A big difference. See, you may not be travelling the world, single handedly demolishing poverty or living every single day in complete euphoria. But, I think you are doing something even more important. If we truly want to make a difference there needs to be compassion, awareness and collective effort, all these seemingly insignificant things you do daily are just that. They show others that it isn’t ‘uncool’ to be vulnerable, to share our emotions and support each other. We don’t have to do everything on our own. Little acts of kindness as small as your smile show others that we aren’t threats to one another, we aren’t divided. At its core we are all the same species living on a floating rock. We all need to be here for each other, even a smile shows that.
That kindness in your heart, even though sometimes that doesn’t always show through (it’s okay, you’re learning). This is what makes you beautiful. The kind of beautiful that you don’t see, you feel. Because we have all been hurt, we have all felt worthless, that kindness in a way stems from never wanting anyone else to feel the same. There’s a lot of pain out there, but you are beautiful because you choose to fight it with a smile.
So be kinder to yourself, because like I said, you may not be travelling the world like her or have the perfect body like him. But they aren’t you, they can never be you and that is your gift to the world. That is your power.
So seriously, don’t worry, you are doing just fine.
Hannah Whittam
Design by: Becky Gibbs
