You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love & affection. ~Buddha
Dear Natalie,
So much time has passed, and I am so grateful for allowing the old parts of myself to fall away. Dance has not become all that I have wished it to be as of yet, but as a result, I have become the woman I was supposed to be. Life seems to be this permanent game of truth, where layers continue to unveil parts perhaps we were never strong enough to see before. This year, tomorrow, we turn 29 and this journey has kicked us in the face at times, knocked some of our teeth out, hurt our pride, punched our ego, bruised our heart and almost crushed our hope but all those hits were not in vain.
With great passion, comes great burden. Your determination, desire and love for yourself and for your craft has sometimes turned into an opportunity for others with bad intentions to spew hate. Natalie, just let the universe guide your path and let love be your light.
Nurture yourself amongst whispers, negativity, lies, and the misery of others. Learn to protect your heart amongst the painfully bleeding ones of your common brother. Stay alive and happy, never let your soul remain dejected, be grateful and overjoyed by the little things, and come back home to the safety of yourself and I promise, all that is ugly around you will fall away.
Respecting yourself and speaking your truth has enraged others at times. Shake it off and be true to yourself. Let no person take your joy. Cut all ties with those that bring negative energy to your life and disrupt your soul. Don't fight every battle but if being a bitch means speaking your mind, having a choice, and a voice, then be the biggest bitch they've ever seen! Not everyone will respect your boundaries, not everyone will like you, and not everyone will love you. I'm glad we are both finally ok with that. Keep some distance from strangers and remember, not everyone that smiles at you is your friend. Forget the lies you've been told and don't take life so seriously.
No, you are not perfect, but I am so proud of the woman you've become.You are so worthy and loved by all those people in your life who honor and cherish you. You are a fierce dancer on the floor, a caring, wonderful, knowledgeable instructor and an up-and-coming savvy businesswoman. You have a huge heart and you follow it. You are beautiful inside and out. You bring positivity and good to this world and you attract only that. You are happy and make others happy in the process. You are a great writer and dancer. Natalie, let go and let love enter your heart. Ask God to bring the right people into your life. Never give up. Someone once told you, you are a mover and a shaker in this world. Believe it. Now is your time. Get out there and be amazing.
All my love,
Natalie Avakian.
“Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free.”
― Rumi
