The new school year is here! I’m taking a little inspiration from RuPaul as I head into a new year—thinking about the decisions I make and asking myself: Do they honor my child-self?
I’m also remembering the impact of so many incredible teachers throughout my own school years and the ways they shaped who I am today. As a young girl, I didn’t understand their impact in the moment. Looking back now, what a gift it was to have those teachers in my life.
And then there are the little things in these photos that mark the time and take me right back—like those pink curlers that gave me the most Nellie Olson curls, and the way they squished against my head when I slept.
It’s funny what we can see looking back that we couldn’t possibly see while we were living it. Those ordinary moments were becoming memories, those teachers were becoming part of who I would be, and I was growing into myself without even knowing it.
It was such a special time, and I didn’t even know it.
Here’s to a new school year, new beginnings, and remembering the people and experiences that helped shape us along the way.
