Letting myself be me.

When I was in the 10th grade, I played basketball. I loved it. My position was point guard and though I am short, and was probably shorter than...I was fast. But I will humbly admit that for one entire season I benched. It made me mad because the coach obviously did not know that she was missing out on the talent I had hidden during practice. But I will say, I was the only one who wore Chuck Taylors. They were a fit for my personality at the time and seemed to identify me in those days when I desperately needed an identity. Since then, years later...I reconnected with Chuck. The nice thing is, I am still comfortable in them. It's that blend between the days of my youth and the youthfulness I still long for today. In a way, I believe I will never fully grow out of them, nor will I grow out of my youth. I think it will actually be more healthy. Life is hard and the weight seems at times unbearable. Kids view life with expectation, hope and dreams. Even being on the bench was merely an opportunity to become a cheerleader on the sidelines. I want to see life with the simplicity of a child, to love without judgment and to dream as though everything is a realistic possibility. So I will wear my Chuck Taylors again today. And maybe when I am 55, or even 70 I will still slip them on now and then.