The rain pounds on the outside of the house, demanding admission. My room is in the perfect condition for thinking: shades open, lamp glowing, bed squishy. As my eyes grow heavy, my thoughts begin to dance about to a symphony of my choosing.

If I should have a daughter, I will tell her a list of all of the do's and don'ts of life. Every day, I will check to see if she's carrying it with her, and that she will never lose it. Once you lose a part of yourself, it can be hard to get it back - if you can get it back at all. The list would start like this: Hit the ground running. Always have your voice be heard, but don't be a bulldozer. Be the right kind of strong. Dictators tell you what you should want, what you should do, and what you believe; break away from them to preserve your person. As they say, "fight the system". 

Never wear a mask, because wearing one means that you can't see properly, and someone could get hurt. Being yourself is always the correct "self" to be. Always know when to love. When you are small, people take advantage of you, and some people think that you can't do anything about that, but you can. And you will.  Be Rosie the Riveter. Defy the norms and do what ever you want, and break some stereotypes while you're at it. You'll be super cool that way. But don't try to be cool. The people who try to be cool never are.  

Don't be one of those girls - you know - the ones who try to impress the world, the ones who want to hold the world in their hands when they can't even hold a crumb on their own. Be beautiful, because you are. Your brain, lungs, and heart are beautiful. Your heart is you, circulating your soul throughout every inch of you. Your strong lungs take in the new, and release any uncertainty. Your brain is your best tool, and as a woman, it's dangerously amazing. There are men that look at us and see fine china - a delicate specimen that should be protected behind a dusty glass case. Never succumb to their antique level of thought. Make yourself known, not as shallow, or distant, or vain, or that dusty light in the corner of the room. Be known as fearless, and strong, and beautiful, and you. 

I love you

-Mami