Why You Shouldn't Fret If You Get Stuck With A Donkey

Overall, I don’t appear to be much of an optimist. But, I am.  I believe very strongly in hope, which I think you need to when you’re talking about something like “new beginnings.” 

New beginnings means you’re starting over, you’re leaving the old behind. It implies change. And change (while I, myself, often go into it kicking and screaming) can be very good.

One of the main reasons I write YA is because I believe in new beginnings and hope.  I believe that things can always get better, no matter how bad they are. I think this is an important philosophy in life, overall. But I especially, especially believe this is important to know when you’re a teen.  Because, let’s face it, being a teen can be rough.  It means having strong opinions, having strong desires, but being limited in what you can do about them. And you have to trudge through every day. It can seem like forever. But there’s hope, right? Don’t hesitate. Say “yes,” because there is hope. Although some people would like to be teens forever (and while I understand this on some level, it’s impossible and limiting and for goodness sake, it’s a really good thing to grow and experience life beyond high school), the truth is, you won’t be a teen forever. At some point, you will hit the brink of adulthood, of true independence, of a new beginning. And there is amazing, uncountable, infinite, googleplex possibility and potential of what will happen, what could happen, when you start a new beginning. Now, don’t get those dreamy stars in your eyes just yet because some of it might be bad, there’s always bad, maybe even worse than what you’ve already gone through, but there’s always, always the possibility of better. Of newness. Of change. Of good. Of awesome.

New beginnings. It’s like playing that TV gameshow Let's Make A Deal (incidentally which I can only watch for five minutes because it kind of makes me anxious). You could end up with a really cool car. You could. But you could also end up with some dusty, old, stinky donkey. You could. The thing is, even if you end up with the damn donkey, it could be the kind of donkey that kicks up its legs and takes you somewhere really cool. If you let it.