Imagine a long, dark pathway in the woods; leaves, branches, and toxic berries litter the path ahead. Occasionally, the sun pokes out from behind the trees. For a brief moment, you feel the sun beating down on you. You feel trapped, this path has been going on for what feels like forever. It starts to feel suffocating—you are not free.

 

Suddenly, there’s a clearing in the trees. The first thing you see is goldenrod, a beautiful, yellow plant with bunches of tiny flowers. It’s almost like the plant is smiling at you.

 

As you get closer, you smell the sweetness of licorice. You reach out to touch the plant, and as you pull away you notice your hand is slightly stained yellow. That’s the goldenrod spreading its joy to the world around it. It’s a gorgeous plant, but it can’t grow in places it’s not wanted. These habitats stop it from spreading its beauty. Fortunately, this colorful plant can find a place to bloom with no one tearing it down.  

 

Just as the goldenrod can’t grow in a hostile environment, neither can you. When you’re young, most kids are welcoming, looking for new friends to play with and include. No one has to care about being liked, you learn to share and be nice. The girls think the boys have cooties and the boys think the girls have them too. Everybody is friends and life is simple.

 

Life is a little bit harder in intermediate school, and not everybody is friends anymore. You have friend groups, but working with others is still fun. It’s easy to talk to people and nobody is super mean if you differ from them. Although life is not as you once knew, it is still somewhat simple.

 

Middle school is when things start to go downhill, and school starts to become draining. The established cliques aren’t welcoming. All you want to do is fit in and find your people. You can’t work in groups with people anymore because they’re not your friends. The bullying starts now, you can’t be yourself without judgment from others. You can change yourself a little bit; it won’t be a big deal. Maybe high school will be different.

 

You’re officially in high school, you pray for the day you graduate. School is draining and you have been around the same kids since kindergarten. You feel pressured to conform. Ever since changing yourself to fit in, you can’t stop doing it. Who are you? A singer? A basketball player? A fake. The people you thought were your friends have dropped you. They never let you be yourself. You couldn’t speak your mind, like your favorite things, or be excited. You were “too hyper” for them. 

 

Out of nowhere, you find the people you were meant to be with. They came into your life at just the right moment. You find who you are again. Now you can jump and laugh and dance and sing with no judgment. Your people do it with you and celebrate who you are. 

 

Personalities can be considered too much with the wrong people. You always want someplace to “fit in” and be wanted, but you’re not going to be wanted everywhere. Some might change themselves or their personalities to find the “right” place. If you have to change who you are for people, they’re not your friends. Never dim your light, the right people will help you shine as brightly as possible. The goldenrod can’t smile if it’s trying to grow in the wrong places, and neither can you.

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