‘You’ve been burned. You’ve been talked bad about. You’ve been left out.’: Woman insists this is ‘your life,’ so ‘don’t wait’ for someone to include you

“I know you don’t always feel cool enough. I know you don’t always feel like you belong. I know you don’t always feel like there’s a space for you.

I know you’ve been burned.

I know you’ve been talked bad about. I know you’ve been left out. I know you’ve put your trust in someone only to have them turn around and talk smack or leave you behind without so much as an explanation.

I know there have been tables where you have made your seat and gotten comfy, only to realize you weren’t really ever accepted for who you are.

I know you’ve felt like you had to squeeze into small spaces and change in order to be welcomed. I know you’ve had to pull up your chair on the outside, only to find nobody was willing to make room for you.

I know you’ve felt like because one group didn’t want you, something must be terribly screwed up with you, and you’ll never find a place. I know you’ve felt like because one person didn’t like you, you must have some defective parts, and you’ll never belong anywhere except the bargain shelf.

But it’s not true.

That ain’t nothing but dirty nasty lies, sister.

I believed them for a long, long time myself, and they almost ruined every chance I had for a good, solid friendship to ever fully flourish.

You don’t have one chance to fit in. You don’t have one shot at friendship. There’s no one group that you HAVE to be in. There’s no one person making the calls on whether or not you get to be ‘in’ or ‘out’ of your own life.

It’s a big ole huge world out there, and I promise, there are plenty of people who were made for you.

There are plenty who will take you as you are. There are plenty who will laugh at your weird jokes and understand your little quirks. There are plenty who will pick you up when you’re down. There are plenty who will stand beside you when you feel like you can’t move.

There are plenty of other people who are out there looking for a place to sit as well, so grab them by the hand and build your own brand-new table with a brand-new set of rules.

This is YOUR life.

Don’t wait for someone to invite you to it or include you in it.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Amy Weatherly of Sister, I am with you. The article originally appeared here. Follow Amy on Instagram here and Twitter here. Submit your story here, and be sure to subscribe to our best love stories here.

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