Proud

I am not the girl I thought I would be when I six or seven. Somewhere in a summer haze, I led myself to believe that stories were more than just stories.

But

I am not living in a castle, with a prince by my side.

I am not a damsel in distress watching my knight in shining armor fight off a dragon for me.

I am

the girl no one pays much attention to.

Long sleeves, denim jeans, head down, feet scuffling. I didn't stand out much.

I don't stand out much.

But

am I destined to be confined in a label pushed on me by a society that barely knows right from wrong? Am I destined to live a life "going through the motions"?

No.

My destiny is for me to decide. Not those around me.

I am

a strong young woman.

I am

a thought-provoking individual who can not wait to break free of the bonds put on me by men. I will plant my feet in the ground like a tree spreading roots for something I believe in. Turning my back is not an option.

The world is a home of misconstrued concepts that one race is above another. That one gender dominates. That one body type is a paradise and the others are sinful.

I am

a young woman whose thoughts mean just as much as a man's.

I am

a young woman who strives to change the world.

I am

a woman who desires nothing but the reassurance that your disability does not make you any less of a person. That your skin colour does not define your place in the world. That your sexual orientation does not dictate where you lie in society's hierarchy. That your body does not mean you can not be loved. That your gender does not mean you are taken more or less seriously.

I am

a person with thoughts and dreams and hopes and feelings. A person who is capable of loving another. A person who wants to make another feel loved and wanted.

I am

a person.

I may not look like much and I may not be the woman I thought I would turn out be, but do not mistake that for shame of who I've become.

I am not a princess or a cheerleader.

I am

far more than that.

I am

proud.