this is such gorgeous advice. i wish i could have read this when i was eighteen. and if the writer of the anonymous is reading this, please also know, i'm twenty-six and still feel very similar to how you do. you're certainly not alone! <3
This was such a generous and grounding response. I especially loved the idea that being “gifted” is often a language other people use to turn a child into a project, and that growing up means learning we are so much more than our achievements or intellectual capacity. The fear of being average can feel so consuming, but this reframes it beautifully: the real gift is not proving your exceptionalism, but allowing yourself to become fully, freely human.
I hope you never stop doing these, the thought you put into your replies are so heartfelt. i can only hope everyone has someone like you in their life!
I love how you frame “the wall” not as failure but as the moment the illusion of narrow success shatters, and how you validate that this isn’t the writer’s embarrassment but the adults’ who pushed them into that pressure cooker. The part about gifts being love, joy, writing, and free thinking instead of measurable achievement is exactly what needs to be said.
Your honesty, empathy and integrity is something I genuinely admire most about you. And you’re so right! Hitting the wall is earth-shattering at best, whenever it happens, but it also brings you one step closer to where you really need to be. Thank you for being who you are 🫶🏼
June, your advice is so heartfelt and built on lived experience, it is truly remarkable. And don't many of us know a thing or two about being a "gifted kid" and the expectations that come with it, closely followed by the disappointments.
this is beautiful, i cried. How forgiving and how compassionate you are with every single person reaching out for advice. You see thing in people we don’t see in ourselves. You’re truly an incredible writer 💗
this is such gorgeous advice. i wish i could have read this when i was eighteen. and if the writer of the anonymous is reading this, please also know, i'm twenty-six and still feel very similar to how you do. you're certainly not alone! <3
no one is alone in this life, I hope all of my readers and submitters feel my presence and my love for them in everything I write
This is such an incredible beautiful piece of advice, I'm in awe
aw thank you SO much!
This was such a generous and grounding response. I especially loved the idea that being “gifted” is often a language other people use to turn a child into a project, and that growing up means learning we are so much more than our achievements or intellectual capacity. The fear of being average can feel so consuming, but this reframes it beautifully: the real gift is not proving your exceptionalism, but allowing yourself to become fully, freely human.
🫶🫶
I hope you never stop doing these, the thought you put into your replies are so heartfelt. i can only hope everyone has someone like you in their life!
hehe happy to be in your life even from afar!
I cried while reading this. It hit too close to my heart 🥺
I loved this! i really loved the line about grieving all your possible futures at once. also love how your writing feels very emotionally honest 🤍
thank you so so much, I speak to all of my submitters like I would my dearest friends
I love how you frame “the wall” not as failure but as the moment the illusion of narrow success shatters, and how you validate that this isn’t the writer’s embarrassment but the adults’ who pushed them into that pressure cooker. The part about gifts being love, joy, writing, and free thinking instead of measurable achievement is exactly what needs to be said.
Thank you for validating this sentiment, I hope it helps this lovely submitter feel seen ❤️
Your honesty, empathy and integrity is something I genuinely admire most about you. And you’re so right! Hitting the wall is earth-shattering at best, whenever it happens, but it also brings you one step closer to where you really need to be. Thank you for being who you are 🫶🏼
it’s not until you start the climb that you realize it will be the most rewarding experience of your life 🙌
June, your advice is so heartfelt and built on lived experience, it is truly remarkable. And don't many of us know a thing or two about being a "gifted kid" and the expectations that come with it, closely followed by the disappointments.
this was a submission I have myself lived through so viscerally I wrote back my younger self automatically
this is beautiful, i cried. How forgiving and how compassionate you are with every single person reaching out for advice. You see thing in people we don’t see in ourselves. You’re truly an incredible writer 💗
If you think I’m not writing back to younger versions of myself (at 28) let me assure you I am every time hahaha