I often ask myself how I got to so lucky to be cast as Jesi Rae on this grand stage called life, and Rae's presence and all the many presents(haha.) God has sent through her(known and unknown. seen and unseen) is a large reason why I often ponder said query. Like, I. Literarily. can't. even.
You know her, You love her, I quote/reference her all the time.
Her name is Rae.
and she's my friend.
OH! and this is her heart:
I want to swaddle you
in the warmest blanket, Jesi, and wrap you tight in the fantasy that 23 isn’t a
crazy age, or a crazy year. I want to spoon feed you candy corn, give you ice
cream for breakfast and tell you ten times over that life is fair and you’ve
nothing to worry about.
But the truth isn’t
pretty and turning 23 is not like turning 2, because there isn’t always going
to be a soft hand to hold you or a calm voice to read you bed time stories when
the scary monsters growl their biggest and baddest from behind that closet
door.
So all I got is all
I’ve got to give. It’s the best I can do and the most I can hope for and pray
for as you spend these next 365 days as a 23-year-old in a world gone mad.
Life is cray, Jesi, but you don’t have to be.
It’s not a Bible, but
here’s some hope, wrapped up with wisdom. Nuggets of testimony, as lived me.
1.
never abandon the art you were born to live,
that thing you were made to do: that which makes you happy – and brings Him
glory.
2.
speaking of glory, make sure you give it to Him,
every moment of everyday.
3.
eat. cookies. like. a. boss.
4.
drink water. lots of it. i’m telling you:
wrinkles DO start at 23. i’ve seen them. and they’re mean.
DRINK WATER.
5.
never shop with a credit card. ever.
ever. ever.
6. boys are dumb.
7.
but they’re cute. so they’re totally worth it. don’t give up on love.
8.
the world is not a mirror, you cannot use it to
tell you how you’re supposed to look, or how you should be or who you should
be, for that matter. which leads us to #9…
9.
BE
unapologetically YOU
10. you
don’t have to blog everyday to be heard. you don’t have to join every online
blogger’s shindig. you don’t need a thousand followers, or a new book releasing
every summer or the latest trending website design, or a hot picture with
puckered lips, or an inbox full of comments and thank you’s. you only need this: to know that without an
ounce of makeup or even a finger lifted, your God is crazy about you. utterly
crazy about you.
11.
there is a common, cruel joke that the world
likes to play on 23-year-olds at the stroke of their 24th birthday.
it’s like an april fools’ joke, except it doesn’t leave you laughing. 24 is
hard. it is real, it is harsh, and its nickname is Mean. it comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion. point
blank? enjoy 23. have fun – be reckless. . but be ready for 24 to come swooping
in with lessons to learn and tears to cry. #growingupain’teasy.
12.
respect yo’ mamma, love your family, hold back
no hug.
13.
count memories, not calories.
14.
the antidote for your monthly . is a hot cup of
tea, one almond hershey’s bar and these five movies (in no particular order) as
follows:
15. pride & prejudice
16. my best friend’s wedding
17. the devil wears prada
18. breakfast at tiffany’s
19. mean girls
20.
avoid walmart like it’s the black plague…except
for when you need nail polish, pads, tampons, underwear, food, CDs and DVDs,
makeup, some cheap and cozy sweatpants and pretty much any and everything else
you need. heck – what am I saying, there is
no way to avoid walmart.
21.
join a gym, eat healthy, and refer to #3, then
repeat, repeat, REPEAT.
22.
ain’t nobody gonna love you as much as you can
love yourself. #truth >> which leads to #23, the most important of ‘em
all:
23.
be fun,
be fab, be saved. 24/7 – 365 days a year, especially on this 23rd
year.
Happy 23rd
Year, Jesi Rae.
