To the group of girls who bullied me in highschool, I would like to personally say thank you for the life lessons you have taught me. You have taught me that not everybody will like you, even if you have done nothing wrong. You have also taught me that not everyone will reciprocate my kindness, no matter how kind I am to everybody that I meet. And the most important of all, you have taught me how to genuinely learn how to forgive. Do you remember the days when you would roast me in a group message with the girls and constantly talk bad about me in order to boost your self esteem and give you something to laugh about? Do you remember the days you would cyberbully me on Twitter, tweeting about me in order to try to seem "cool" or "funny" in order to receive favorites? Or the time that you would text me with nothing but rudeness and disrespect assuming you were better than me? Because I do. I remember the sleepless nights that I would have, silently crying myself to sleep so that no one could know that your unkind words and actions actually did bother me. I remember the exact way you made me feel – insignificant, unimportant, small, insecure. You made me question my self worth, whether I was good enough or not. You degraded me as a girl, knowing how hard it is to be a girl already with their insecurities. You made me feel as if everyone was against me, and I was alone. You made me feel weak. While it was happening, I never really thought of this as "bullying". Even today, I think of a person being bullied as someone getting picked on: being a nerd in school, being handicapped, etc. Until recently, I had a hard time admitting that the experience I faced was bullying too. But I WAS bullied, and now I'm admitting it. However, I can look back now on these experiences and say that it shaped me into the person that I am today. Today, I am successful. I have tons of friends surrounding me. I have an amazing boyfriend who I wouldn't trade the world for. I am happy. I have learned that I AM enough. I have learned many things about myself and have grown to love myself since we have all graduated high school. I have learned how to be compassionate, kind hearted, and made the choice to never ever bully another person or be unkind. I have gained wisdom from this experience, which is more than you can say for yourself. But my experience of being bullied has left me with scars – not physical, but emotional ones. I will always remember the hurt and pain that you have caused me, but I have learned how to move on. I pray that you too can one day realize how bullying can affect others and use this experience as an eye opener in order to be a better person. Today, I have chosen to forgive you. I am choosing to let go of the negativity that I experienced. Thank you, former high school bullies, for making me the person who I am today – strong, confident, and a beautiful person with a kind and genuine heart.
