30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 2

Day 2 : Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot.

I will be quite honest and say that I've been struggling with how I want to go about answering this. I find it hard because I do want to play it safe and mention something positive but the truth is, someone once said something to me several years ago that wasn't very nice and it's just not easy to forget. It's quite absurd how easily our brains choose to store the few unfortunate encounters we have with people over the countless more favorable ones. I guess it's just a constant reminder that words really do hold such great power.

I don't think I've ever shared this here but one of my biggest insecurities growing up was my teeth. It's something I struggled with several years and it stems to this very instance. I remember being in grade school and as any other 11-year-old, valuing the opinions of my peers more than anything else. There was a girl in my class who one day thought it would be funny to give me the nickname "bunny teeth". I remember her flat out asking me in front of my classmates, "Why do you look like that? Do you know you look like a bunny?" and bursts into boisterous laughter while pointing at me and slowly had the whole class join her all the while simultaneously calling me "bunny teeth". It was awful. Naturally, it was all I could see every time I looked into a mirror after that and would always assume everyone else saw me the same way too. Slowly through the years, I found ways to hide behind my hands - covering my mouth every time I laughed, speaking as little as I needed to and learning to smile without having to show my teeth. 

Two words. It only took two thoughtless words coming out of a reckless child's mouth to make a significant impact on me that would stay with me for years to come. It was an unfortunate experience and would never wish it on anyone else. In retrospect, however, I am still grateful for everything because I now most definitely understand the need to use words wisely. 

You all know I cannot close this off without using the ever-famous, over-used (but-still-holds-much-truth) quote - "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all."

P.S. If you were wondering, I eventually did end up getting orthodontic treatment several years later and I am finally able to genuinely smile - with teeth.