Dear Future Starla,
don’t forget.

Don’t forget the priceless advice
given to you by venerated mentors,
or the joy that brought you to tears when
you earned their approval.

Don’t forget endless laughter
brought on by countless movie nights
stretched into the wee hours of the morning
with the friends who know you best.

Don’t forget the fear you felt
the day you decided to plant both feet
and start running toward your dreams
at full speed, finally allowing yourself
to take that chance.

Don’t forget the adrenaline rush
the first time you rode your bike over
expressway bridge, and realized that hill
could not stop you, much less any other obstacle.

Don’t forget the emotions that have
allowed you to be fragile, exactly
when you most needed that vulnerability.
That emotional person is the truest
form of you. And you are at your best
when she takes the reins.

When you are emotional, something amazing
will surely be the result.