No More Hiding

Dear Simply-Educated,

     Dear Simply-Educated,
         You have become the second parents of my life. A group of you, in which I broke free from hands to hold other supporting hands. These hands were connected to bodies, peoples.

You.

The Simply-Educated.

These peoples were walls of support, kindness, and lessons. You held me in your grip for a while, and then passed me onto my new guides in life, my next grade.

You have showed patience, bolstered me, concerned, cared for, gave kindness and gratitude, and have shared your hard worked for wisdom with me.

You have cried with me, and laughed, and cleaned my wounds and tended my migraines.

You have taken me, a blank piece of clay, and moulded me into lumps and shapes and peaks and downfalls and knowledge and empathy and emotions, opinions, options, and thoughts and choices that come from my own person.

You, my Simple-Educators, were more, so much more, than just that.

You were tasteful artists, and never have you made a wrong move with your tools.

Every carve so delicate, I feel it is a shame to throw it all away.

But over the years, I have unconsciously taken back my ball of clay from your patient and precise hands.

And instead, I handled it with my rough and impatient ones.

I have rounded and damaged your delicate carvings and dents, into something horrid. I have stopped trying. I have become sad, and angry, and closed off.

I have changed.

But, do not fret.

You do not have to sculpt me into something I am no more,

I won't put that stress on you.

Because one day I won't be here to sculpt anyway.

So it's okay.

And I'm sorry.

But thank you.

From preschool, to now, you have been mentors and inspirations.

For a while, when asked what I wanted to be when I grow up, I'd point to you.

A sculptor.

An artist.

A therapist.

A friend.

A parent.

A mentor.

An educator.

And so, so much more.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

[-D.]