(just trust me on this one)

when i was really little, i was hung up over not being able to tie my shoelaces
every morning i would try,
but they always came undone and left me with a pair of scraped knees and bruised elbows
i beat my self up over it every single day
and i'd lock myself in my room for hours just trying to get my uncoordinated little fingers to figure my way through what seemed like an impossible maze of loops and holes
i realize now that my problem could have been fixed by my mom's bulk-sized patience
and a little bit of velcro
but at the time it felt important
so it was.

when i was in junior high, the boy i loved, loved my best friend
it felt like the ground was crumbling beneath my feet
and every time i saw either of them,
the heart that i displayed comfortably on my sleeve,
fell right off and quickly through that collapsing terrain
now i realize he was not worth the heartache
and definitely not worth losing a friend
but at the time it felt important
so it was.

two winters ago i felt sad
not go-ride-your-bike-and-take-a-bath-and-you'll-feel-better sad,
it was an i've-been-sad-for-weeks-now-and-i-have-no-idea-why sad
but i kept hearing people's opinions
about how people who say they are sad are "emo" or "too sensitive" or "only asking for attention"
so i didn't really say much about it
and like other hard things, it passed
but at the time it felt important
so it was.

there will be people who make you feel bad about feeling things
there will be people who tell you your sadness isn't real
and that you need to just "get over it"
but rubbing dirt in the wound and biting your tongue is only going to give you an infection and a whole lot of canker sores

i'm here to tell you that your feelings are real and they are important

you are allowed to feel your feelings.