By Tiara Liz Soto

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My parents and I share a special relationship and find comfort in having insightful talks daily. This piece is crafted based on a reflection to their answers on one of my favorite questions!

Me: What is one piece of advice you would give your younger self? 

My Parents: Be patient with life! As they say, life works in unexpected ways and we have no control of what tomorrow or the next few years would look like. As much as we want it to look a certain way, there’s no such thing as perfection. What we can control is our approach to life, how we live it, how we love, and how we cherish it.

On the other side of their worlds, there is me who is beginning to grasp these realities of pre-adultery and the real world. As a freshman in college, for sure so much thought and mixed emotions arise daily thinking about what comes next post graduation. In doing so, I forget everything that has brought me here, let alone the life I’m living in and grateful for everyday. Through it all, I must be patient and understand that being a first gen college student is such a huge achievement that I must always cherish. Hard work will show me why I chased after it on the other side. Recently, I’ve found myself questioning the little things in my day like why didn’t my cool outfit idea actually work out? I must admit, it’s a huge curve in my day but as my parents said there is no such thing as perfection in how our lives look. It’s my approach to it that matters and just maybe the simple answer to my wonders is that an even better moment is waiting for me. A moment where I will glow with beauty and contentment specially made for then just as I do now in my many ways. I control the love I show myself in the midst of all these big changes happening in my life through storms and sunshine. That love that is, by my friends and family who put me to the side of confidence. And so, on the other side of everything and the other side of my parents’ world, I’m presented with a variety of advice, rules, and stories on how the game of life works. It’s up to me to choose how I play but I will always win this game if I follow my heart and let the pieces of positivity guide me.

Process

This piece was inspired by the theme of the 2023 anthology. I hadn’t had my piece developed yet but was inspired to take a normal conversation with my parents and have it fit the tittle of “On The Other Side Of Everything”. I took what they said, specifically regarding the things they would tell their younger self and reflected on it through the lens of how I’m experiencing those same lessons in my life right now. Overall, writing this was an awesome experience as I felt like all my ideas combined beautifully without having much doubt on them. I was also able to try new things in my writing and felt proud for doing so afterwards.