Life is so meta.
We go through changes adjusting to the life we live each moment.
It is funny how a life lived until now can be reduced to this poem.
There are so many untold stories and relationships, but you can see them.
Set the scene for a story about life that is so meta.

When I was a child, I was the “weird kid.”
The “old soul,” “you’re mature for your age,” and “you’re so creative.”
In hindsight, this seems endearing; however, as a child,
And the words “weird” or “different” follow the “compliments.”
Turned confidence into assessment and assessment into
an existential crisis as a teenager.

Teenagers live in an existential crisis naturally, as their brains are developed
just right for trouble and risks. Mix a dash of trauma, some anxiety, and depression.
Then, the cherry on top is the “compliments.”
I refused to fit in because it wasn’t my truth.
I left this place and moved to a place where I knew no one.

Not only do I move once to northeast Florida, but I also move across the country.
I learn the value of natural beauty, acceptance, support, community, and responsibility.
Through meeting new people and finding community, I solidified more of myself,
But I have never changed the weirdness I once took as a backhanded compliment.
And I made it my superpower.

I moved back home, where I am weird, an old soul, and creative.
Integrating these parts led to seeing how meta life can be.
The physical and the mental always come back to itself as
Opportunities to learn more about yourself and decide
Where you are going on this new timeline.

This superpower strengthened through new relationships,
Marriage, the stress of undergrad, and graduate school.
Three dogs, two cats, and a bearded dragon later
I stand in my truth of weirdness and use it to serve others.

I use this superpower of difference as a beacon of light
For those who haven’t had their chance to relate and
Feel validated as the old soul, creative, and weird kid.
Teaching others the difference is not a deficit and
How meta life can be.

Learning about myself and others
Has led to the enlightenment of self-love and validation.
Life is still hard, and I don’t care for days when my
Pocket gets caught on the doorknob,
But now,
I laugh and move on from life’s silly instances.
When life gets even more complicated-
I know it feels familiar, and remember not to
Let how meta life can be affect the way I feel
About myself.