a letter to a Black child

I want you to be your best self.  Whatever that means for you, I want you to be your best self.

I want your wit.

I want your curiosity.

I want your cynicism.

I want your quirkiness.

I want your queerness.

I want your street smarts and your book smarts and your gut smarts.

I want you bright, beautiful, and bold as fuck.

Because as long as you are what you are, you can reach any height.

You can be your best and reach mediocrity.  That’s okay.

You can be your best and reach notoriety.  That’s maybe not as okay; but you know what?

You’re still doing you.

If you have a question?  Please ask.

And don’t just ask one person, ask a lot of people.

Then go investigate answers for yourself.  This is how you cultivate judgment.

When you develop a how, it helps to have a why in your back pocket.

Sometimes you don’t even need a good why.  But whys give your hows peace of mind.

Don’t take that as a message that you have to justify everything you do to the world.

You don’t have to do that.

But you are your most important person.  If you don’t know why you’re doing something? Ask yourself.

Learning is your evergreen state of being.

Always learn from your circumstances, your peers, and your environment.

It can be as complex as astrophysics or as simple as “don’t get shot.”

Life is full of rich lessons to make you excel.  Learn them.

There may be moments when it feels like nothing’s happening.

This is a teachable moment.  What were you expecting to happen?  Ask yourself the question.

Then make it happen.

You are what the world is waiting for, and so much more.  Be yourself, and make the world smile.

 

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