I am going to say what is on my mind because I only have that one chance to do it. I cannot live by the standards of our society, I have to create my own. I have to wake up every morning and be excited about all that I am doing, the people that are in my life and the work that I produce. Sure, it is easy to let my problems consume me and sometimes I do. But what I gained in these years is a voice. My voice. It will not sound like anyone else, it doesn't read like the best sellers list, but it is mine. I value it, I know who I am, I know that it will change and that I will be ready for it when it does. When life gets that hard, when all feels hopeless, there is still a fire in me to be true to myself, to go out into this world and change it. Because despite anything that ever happened in my life up to that point, I was still living with that optimism. I was born with that outlook, and a monster will never ruin that. Even now, I still believe that when you look someone in the eyes and speak, that truth pours from your soul. That people want to be better, to do things differently, if you give them the chance to do it. Maybe I am too optimistic, but we need to be more optimistic. We have to forgive, or we will die having never lived. For to live is to be free, free of all the confines of this world.
Today I stand as a strong woman. I see all that is happening, all that is changing for women. I have optimism, that one day our children will live in a world where they don't have to be silent because of their gender or their sexual orientation. I want to live in a world where there are no expectations of me, only the possibility that I can do whatever I want. What I have learned is that you have to be patient and you have to respect the process of life and all those who came before you. Ride the roller coaster and enjoy the pain, really feel it because it is those feelings that fuel you into the future.
