Make peace with yourself

I grew up being teased because of my skin colour. I am tan. I am not black but in our culture, tan is like being black. Maybe even worse. I never liked my skin colour though a lot of older people around me appreciated it. Most people my age then were simply disgusted. I am the symbol of poverty not to mention, ugliness. I am also the un-coolest person I knew at school. If people were to choose friends, I would be picked last or never. This is how I viewed myself until I made peace with who's inside.

I made peace with myself.

I did not accept myself right away. It took more than that. I started winning friends not because I was beautiful but because I did the best at school. They wanted to be friends with me because teachers like me. Teachers like me because I am a good student. I am their best student. I started to think that my colour did not matter to my friends. It never did. My friends like me because I am fun to be with and I help them out when they need it. I understood that I was the only one thinking that my skin mattered in making friends and how the world viewed me. I was the only one making a constant barrier out of it. They were not the one who did not pick me to be friends with. It is I, who did not pick them because of my thoughts that I later realized where really bad thoughts.

I have to blame myself for wasting all those years thinking I was ugly, was not pretty enough to be picked as a friend, when in fact, I might probably was and still am. I am the only one putting myself down and as soon as I knew this for a fact, I let go and I became happy. I am at peace with myself so nobody can use that flaw -- or so I thought -- against me because it has already become a strength.

Black is beautiful. I am beautiful.

E