Growing My Antlers

    

Growing My Antlers

    The animal I want to be is a fawn. There is something about the way a fawn moves through the forest, quiet, careful, and soft-hearted, yet brave enough to keep walking even when the path is uncertain. That is how I want to feel most days. I am gentle but still learning to grow my own antlers, not to hurt anyone but to remind myself I am stronger than I appear. I try to step lightly through life, to notice small wonders, and to find peace even when the world feels noisy.

    My family says I am more like a cat. They say this because I have been through a lot since I was little, surviving things I never even understood at the time. I have had moments when I was so close to danger, times when I almost did not make it, yet somehow I always land on my feet. They call it luck, like a cat with nine lives, but maybe it is more than luck. Maybe it is a quiet kind of resilience, the way life seems to tell me that I am meant to keep going. I am grateful for that. I do not see it as darkness, but as proof that I am meant to be here, learning and growing. 

    I want to be a fawn because it reminds me that growth takes time. Like a fawn waiting for its antlers to appear, I am learning to become stronger, wiser, and more confident with each step I take. Life has tested me many times, and I have survived moments I never imagined I could. Each challenge is shaping me, teaching me patience, resilience, and courage. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned, and I know that even when I feel small, I am still moving forward, learning, and growing into the person I am meant to be.

    Life feels like a forest I move through every day. At school, I stay quiet, not because I feel left out but because I genuinely love to listen. My friends’ voices feel like birdsong, filling the air with stories I want to keep forever. I may be shy at first, but I warm up easily to people who are kind and funny enough to take the first step.

    

    People change and friendships change too. I have had friends I thought would stay forever, and I have lost some without expecting it. Just as trees shed leaves so they can grow new ones, I have learned to let go and keep walking. That is life, and it teaches us to appreciate what we have while we have it. Every friendship, whether it lasted or not, has shaped me. I may have made mistakes along the way, but I have learned to see them as lessons and not weights I have to carry. The friends I have now are treasures I hold close, not because I am afraid of losing them, but because I have learned how to cherish them while they are here. 

    I may seem gentle, but I feel things deeply. If someone teases me about how I look, I can laugh it off. But if they say something about my personality, it stays in my head all day, echoing inside me. I hate that part of myself sometimes, but I do not hate myself for it. It is part of me, and I can still change and learn from it. It is not easy, but it is possible. Yes, it hurts, but I do not have to act on it. Maybe that sensitivity is also part of my strength. Like a fawn, I notice everything, every movement and every shadow, and even if my heart beats fast, I keep moving forward.

    This year I want to grow braver. I want to carry myself like a fawn holding its head high, with antlers beginning to catch the light even when I feel small. I want to stop letting careless words haunt me. I want to share my thoughts instead of keeping them all inside. As people change and as I change, I want to stay true to who I am becoming, someone who walks softly but leaves strong, steady footprints behind.

References:

https://www.vecteezy.com/png/49785869-elegant-golden-photo-frame-with-white-transparent-background

https://pin.it/1MwgwgznM