To 15-year-old Daisy,
School is hell for you right now. Every day you have to get up and face people who are so different to you and shout you down. You feel trapped and stuck. You are surrounded by individuals and groups who pick on you and your values because actually, they are scared and unsure and think that by picking on you, they might understand themselves better. They feel better for picking on another person because they cannot face trying to work out who they are. You are lucky in many ways- you have decided that you aren’t going to compromise and that’s an amazing position to be in. Stay like that.
At the moment you are really struggling with defining who you are and being yourself. People around you seem to be telling you that you are wrong, what you are is wrong and what you want to be and do is wrong. They are the ones who are wrong. They are closed-minded.
It doesn’t matter that those people around you at the moment do not understand you. In the future you will meet people who understand the importance of the natural world and see it with an open mind and curiosity as you do. You do not need to define yourself for others and you do not need to work flat out to prove how much you care. Your interest in nature and your caring about the environment is something that is so important. It is only a matter of time before others around you who don’t care realise they need to. In the future you will see things you care about and things you hold dear move more into the mainstream- bizarre but true.
Those woodlands that you find yourself pining for in class, those quiet places which change and fluctuate throughout the seasons are precious and they need you. They are constantly under threat and your name and your voice is another name standing up for them, another name on a petition, another voice speaking for them.
Keep going for those walks in the woods, keep asking questions about the natural world and keep going.
From 27-year-old Daisy
Written and illustrated by Daisy @naturalcuriositystudio