To the children who have dealt with bullies,

I promise you it's going to be okay. I know you may not believe me, but by the end of this letter, I hope to shift your thoughts and opinions on the way you feel about yourself right now. All the way from the way your mind thinks, to the body language you portray.

I may not know precisely what each and every one of you is going through, but I can relate in some way, in some fashion. I can relate to the way you feel about yourself and your worth. From the days where you can't even think about getting out of bed. To the pounds of tears, you may lose from the people who hurt you. From the mornings you may wake up and look around and notice that no one is there for you. To the night where you feel alone and abandoned and that no one even cares. I can relate to that.

But listen to me when I say this, that what is happening right now and the way you're feeling right now is only temporary. They will move on, you will move on, and trust me when I say this, life will get better. I know it may not seem like it, and right now your vision and your mind may be blurred to what else is out there, but for these short 5 minutes of reading clear your head. Clear your mind from any thoughts that are fulfilling your perspective and listen to me.

Where you are right now is only a couple pages in the book of your life. Soon the pages will turn, and new opportunities and new memories will come your way. You may feel like the pages aren't turning and that you're stuck in this never-ending cycle, but trust me I felt that way too, and now I am here talking to you, happy as can be and a better person than I was before.

I dealt with a lot of hate growing up and let me tell you it wasn't easy. We watch these movies and Tv shows that create this surreal fantasy of high school, but in reality, it's nothing like that. So I am here to tell you that different is good, actually different is impressive. Be who you are and be who you want to be. Who cares about what others think, and if they're indeed your friends, then they'll love you no matter what number you are on the scale, or the clothes you wear, or the people you hang out with. They'll love you for you, and I think that's all that matters.

I never fit in in high school, I always felt like the odd one out. Can you relate? I was always different. I had different thoughts, passions, beliefs, likes, and dislikes. But it didn't stop me from being me. I liked poetry, classical literature, old bookstores where you can get lost in, and random coffee shops where you can lose yourself in the artwork you're trying to create. I would rather sit in a coffee shop and write on a Friday night rather than going out. But hey that's not so bad, right?

But now, I graduated, and now it's time to start a new chapter, an original story, a new beginning for me. And for who I want to be.

I read this book by Marcel Proust called “In Search of Lost Time" And one of my favorite quotes was “ We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise, we can see no favorable outcome. We do not think of the outcome which generally comes to pass and is also favorable: we do not succeed in changing things in accordance with our desires, but gradually our desires change. The situation that we hoped to change because it was intolerable becomes unimportant to us. We have failed to surmount the obstacle, as we were absolutely determined to do, but life has taken us round it, led us beyond it, and then if we turn round to gaze into the distance of the past, we can barely see it, so imperceptible has it become."

This quote means more than just letting go and not grasping so hard onto something that seems so small, so unimportant, it shows us strength, it shows us determination and power in our being and desires. That whatever you set your heart to you can do it, with compassion, commitment, and a positive mindset.

So whoever is hurting you, bringing you down, trying to hold you back. Ask yourself why, why would you let them keep you back, why would you let them try to dictate your well being, and why let them tell you who you should be. When the only person you should be is the one you see standing in the mirror every day telling yourself, today is a new day. Today is a new beginning.

People only bully you because they're jealous, they're jealous of who you are and how much strength you have to your being. They're jealous that they're not you. So remember when I tell you this, that there is light at the end of the tunnel just waiting for you to grasp onto. So do me a favor, do yourself a favor and go and get it. Be different, be spontaneous, be strong, and most importantly be you.

Just like John Green once said, “You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world…but you do have some say in who hurts you."

Sincerely,

Rachel Levy