I'm a work in progress, so have a little patience with me, please. I have shared such sentiment with my closest friends. I don't judge and I'm not self-righteous. I am merely human and I sometimes forget things like returning calls or emails. I haven't always said appropriate things at appropriate times and I haven't always done the right thing.
I'm flawed just like everyone else. Despite that, the people that love me have stuck around because they believed that I was "a diamond" when I didn't think I was even a "diamond in the rough." They were able to see beyond. They could see something that I couldn't see.
I apologize way too much and I am my worst critic, is what I'm told. I'm often too nice and I don't know what it's like to hate anyone or anything. I forgive often. I've never not forgiven anyone. I've often wondered if I had a good soul but I know I must at least be a decent person because my son tells me that I'm a good mother. That's the critic that matters to me-- my son.
I often do too much for others without expecting anything in return. Helping others gives me much satisfaction and happiness. A friend once told me that I cared too much to the point that it was almost a flaw of mine. Even when faced with someone who doesn't care for me very much, I smile hoping they see that they were wrong about me, that they were too quick to judge. After all, first impressions aren't always accurate.
I sometimes feel like the phoenix. I have made some sacrifices and have risen from my own ashes. My setbacks may not have always meant major comebacks, but I definitely do "come back." I've always bounced back.
Rather than this being about the confessions of a poet, my point is the following. Be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up over flaws, failures and/or imperfections. We are all works in progress. We all make mistakes. The key is to learn from them and move forward. Forgiving others is sometimes easier than forgiving ourselves. You are a diamond, even if you don't see it right now. Let your light shine.
Priscilla Rice is an actor, poet, mother and aspiring samba dancer. She has appeared in several plays at the Latino Cultural Center and helps coordinate a monthly spoken word event at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. She studied Broadcast Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin and has worked as a radio news/traffic reporter and assignment editor for various television stations. She currently works as an interpreter/translator. She is originally from Crystal City, TX and resides in Dallas with her son, Leo.
I'm flawed just like everyone else. Despite that, the people that love me have stuck around because they believed that I was "a diamond" when I didn't think I was even a "diamond in the rough." They were able to see beyond. They could see something that I couldn't see.
I apologize way too much and I am my worst critic, is what I'm told. I'm often too nice and I don't know what it's like to hate anyone or anything. I forgive often. I've never not forgiven anyone. I've often wondered if I had a good soul but I know I must at least be a decent person because my son tells me that I'm a good mother. That's the critic that matters to me-- my son.
I often do too much for others without expecting anything in return. Helping others gives me much satisfaction and happiness. A friend once told me that I cared too much to the point that it was almost a flaw of mine. Even when faced with someone who doesn't care for me very much, I smile hoping they see that they were wrong about me, that they were too quick to judge. After all, first impressions aren't always accurate.
I sometimes feel like the phoenix. I have made some sacrifices and have risen from my own ashes. My setbacks may not have always meant major comebacks, but I definitely do "come back." I've always bounced back.
Rather than this being about the confessions of a poet, my point is the following. Be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up over flaws, failures and/or imperfections. We are all works in progress. We all make mistakes. The key is to learn from them and move forward. Forgiving others is sometimes easier than forgiving ourselves. You are a diamond, even if you don't see it right now. Let your light shine.
Priscilla Rice is an actor, poet, mother and aspiring samba dancer. She has appeared in several plays at the Latino Cultural Center and helps coordinate a monthly spoken word event at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. She studied Broadcast Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin and has worked as a radio news/traffic reporter and assignment editor for various television stations. She currently works as an interpreter/translator. She is originally from Crystal City, TX and resides in Dallas with her son, Leo.
