who am i?

{05.09.2017}

I asked myself on a random Tuesday, who am I? What do I stand for, what's in my blood?

I am someone unafraid to speak my beliefs. Someone who formed my own confidence from all of the times I've been silenced.

I am one of many who learned everything from dancing. I came from an extended family without the highest reputation or quality of life. I come from a place where they say 'y'all' instead of 'you guys,' 'bless your heart' instead of 'you're an idiot.'

I am confident, I am strong, I am smart, I am beautiful and I am loved.

I'm a dancer, and that means a lot of things. I am a student, therefore I am still learning every day. I learn who my friends are and who they are not, who I can trust and who I can't, who is real and whose perceived "realness" is fake, who's there for me and who isn't.

I am someone who stands where I belong, even if that place is in the back row. I am both a speaker and an observer. I watch what I don't understand so that I can learn from it, but still speak when I have a place to, because everyone should share their own opinions and thoughts.

I owe my lack of stage fright to my parents, who have been putting me on stages for as long as I can remember. Now, almost 14 years later, I stand in the wings before a performance or competition and my heart races with excitement and anticipation to do what I love.

Here's what I've learned at the end of the day...all I can really say, is that I'm me. Your average blonde, sometimes, but more than that. I am quiet, with a voice. I am a person who loves the stage, the spotlight, but won't beg for it. I am forever learning, I am confident. I mean what I say, and only say it if I mean it. And this, all of this, is only part of who I am.