HollyWritten By: Cora Parker
Do you ever turn on the radio and the song that is playing takes you back to a certain moment in time? A time that seemed so difficult when you were in that moment but looking back, was pure simplicity? I do this all of the time! Even certain smells will take me back to a moment when I didn’t realize the impact one decision could have on me 10 years down the road.
I was driving down the road the other day and “Girls Like Me” came on the radio. It was one of my favorite songs back when I was 16 and Kellie Pickler had first come out. I used to drive down the road in my 93 4×4 Ford Ranger with the windows down blaring this song. I felt like it was a tribute to my life. A song about a girl who appreciated all of the small-town adventures she was blessed to have. A girl who loved to fish and just be herself. A girl who wasn’t willing to change no matter how others felt about her.
Reminiscing
To this day, I’ll still play this song just as loud as I can while reminiscing on the old days when I thought I had to be “tough’’. I say that because at that point in my life, I didn’t really have any female friends. I always just hung out with the guys and did things that I’m sure was not considered feminine at all. I wanted to hang out at football games or go fishing down at the lock and dam. I always felt like I had to defend myself with girls who would say hateful things about me. I always just kept to myself and did the things I enjoyed no matter what.
Little did I know, their opinion of me would have absolutely NO impact on my life today. I was always comfortable with myself and with just hanging out with the guys. I didn’t need to color my hair, get my nails done or buy expensive clothing to feel better. Not saying all girls do but I got picked on about my clothes quite often growing up because I didn’t care to wear name brands. That is when I started putting on my “tough” persona. A “don’t mess with me” kind of attitude that got me in a lot of arguments and come very close to many fights because I just was not going to back down anymore.
Be Happy, Be Yourself
Oh, the things I know now that I wish I would have known then. The girl back then who felt like she always had to act tough to simply just be herself. You see, I have always wanted to be the girl I am today. The only difference is, now I know that I don’t need others approval to be happy. Heck, I don’t care what anybody thinks these days. I live to my own beat and if people don’t like who I am, I just move on. I think sometimes we get too wrapped up in social media and the latest trends. We focus too much on how others are succeeding rather than our own successes.
Through my brand “Girls with Hounds’’, I try to inspire others to just be themselves. To stick out in the crowds rather than trying so hard to fit in. I have met so many incredible girls along the way and even made some best friends who accept me for exactly who I have always been. Shockingly enough, they are exactly the same way! They love to hunt, fish and just be outdoors with their hounds like me. If only my 16-year-old self would have known that one day she would make best friends with girls who not only accepted her as she is but who were also just like her in every way. Honestly, young me would not have believed it.
What you say to her?
So, what would I say to her? To that 16-year-old me who would try her best to avoid others at her high school because she knew she was not like them. The girl who wanted to go riding in the woods rather than stay to dance at prom. The girl who would rather be with her daddy in the woods on the weekend than her step-momma and sisters in town. The girl who was determined to drive a 5 speed so she asked her parents if her first vehicle could be manual so she would have to learn to drive it. The girl who wore her heart on her sleeve and stayed to herself.
I would tell her to embrace who she is! To walk through those halls at school with her head held high. I would tell her that one day she will meet women from all over the world who share the same love of the outdoors as her. I would tell her to shoot that gun, drive that truck, enjoy FFA and Agriculture classes, spend the weekend hunting and stay up late staring at the stars dreaming about what the future holds. I would tell her that who she is does not need to change for nobody. I would tell her that one day the right people will love her for all of the right reasons.
Be Proud
To all my girls and boys of all ages, be proud of who you are. Chase your dreams no matter how far-fetched they seem. Dream big and love hard!
Even the people who may look down on you or disagree with you. Be the person that the younger you would be proud of and proud to become! Simply be you and do the things that send chills down your spine. For me, that is running my hounds and being with my family. I am right where the younger me wanted to be and I thank God for it! What would you say to the younger you??
