She's A Wild Child

Inspiration of the Day: "No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow." -Alice Walker

For too long, I have tried to be accepted. Be popular at school, or do everything right so my family would accept me and so everyone would accept me. I have changed myself and compromised things I believed in just to get the approval of all these different people. But there are two big things that I am coming to understand. 

First

Does anyone ever really get accepted by society?? I found this poem that describes things quite perfectly.

Welcome to society,

We hope you enjoy your stay,

And please feel free to be yourself,

As long as it's in the right way,

Make sure you love your body,

Not too much or we'll tear you down,

We'll bully you for smiling,

And then wonder why you frown,

We'll tell you that you're worthless,

That you shouldn't make a sound,

And then cry with all the others,

As you're buried in the ground,

You can fall in love with anyone,

As long as it's who we choose,

And we'll let you have your opinions,

But please shape them to our views,

Welcome to society,

We promise that we don't deceive,

And one more rule now that you're here,

There's no way you can leave.

-E.H.

In my mind, no one ever really gets accepted by society. Even the people that from the outside look like they get accepted, like celebrities or popular people in school,  they do one thing or make decisions that not everyone agrees with and they get scrutinized.

Second
I am no longer going to try and fit in anywhere. It gets hard sometimes but I keep trying to just be myself and think that if someone doesn't like me or if I don't mount up to someone's expectations, that's their problem. NOT mine. I have lived too many years living my life trying to please family, people I was trying to be friends with and it caused me to become depressed for many many years. I however did not know the effect it had on me until recently. Trying to fit in can destroy someone extremely emotionally.
I am done being destroyed by other people. I would rather have one friend that is actually there for me and accepts me for how I am, and accepts my decisions even if they don't agree with them, rather than have 100 friends who criticize me and try to change me to be like them or anyone else.

IT IS NOT WORTH IT.
I want to be me and be happy. I don't want to be anybody else. I am going to keep wearing my heart on my sleeve, falling in love, and being a gypsy soul until I find the place I belong.