Dear dream book,

I just watched Lego Batman today and maaaaaaannn was it epic. We can all agree Batman is the greatest superhero of all time. Yes? Good! (Well there is Chuck Norris but that is a story for another day)…Anyway...back to Lego Batman. Let’s talk about Robin for a second. Batman has always battled alone against the forces of injustice and evil, but now he’s suddenly got a kid sidekick to deal with. Yassss que ROBIN!! Where Batman is silent, serious and brooding, Robin is loud, enthusiastic and constantly bursting with excitement at getting to work with his favorite super hero and new dad.

At the beginning, Robin starts off very weird and quirky and Batman doesn’t really like him and it’s at this point before he is adopted that we see him make a decision. This decision will either make him become the boy wonder he is meant to be or become something else contrary to that.

Robin decides to simply be himself and not conform to whatever it is Batman wants him to be. He doesn’t try to fit in and change his weird quirky self, in fact he just becomes a better version of himself. I find that so bomb dream book, I really do and that’s simply because I can relate to that. Robin makes the movie so much fun and so cool that I am probably going to watch it every week till I’m 40.

He’s taught me a lot about who I am and how to embrace all my awkward and quirky shenanigans. I think my biggest challenge as a teen is trying to fit in and trying to get everyone to like me; but the truth is not everyone will like me all the time and that is something that when I accept I won’t waste time trying so hard to impress people.

"In fact, fitting in is the greatest barrier to belonging. Many of us suffer from this split between who we are and who we present to the world in order to be accepted.”

If I don't spend so much time and energy worrying about what others think of the real me (or trying to hide the real me), I'll have lots more left over for dancing the macarena. Do you get me dream book? I am slowly but surely getting to understand that I shall not try to fit in but I shall try to fit out. By fitting out I will be who I am even when people insist that I have to change. Fitting out will mean that I take up my space and not apologize for people who want to put labels on me. Nakaa unga ya chapatti? *For our international students…Do I look like Chapatti flour* (I don’t know what chapatti is in English)….In baby talk it means…*shdcvjshv basbojea biiajf*

So I’m a little weird…I will work it! Oh! I’m different? I shall own every bit of it because that is who I am and I can only get better. It may not be easy and I get that but I will not stop trying to be who I really am and who I can be. I will not be so quick to cut away pieces of myself to suit a particular relationship or a circle of friends. I need to understand that I don’t have to fit in and it’s okay.

I am not saying change is bad. Change is good only if I am not becoming a lesser version of myself. I am awesomely beautiful with the heart of an avocado and my bushy eyebrows. Today I choose to commit to belong because of who I am and I will not give in to the soul sucking goal of trying to fit in. Today I choose to be Robin, dream book. I will enjoy every bit of who I am. It will be hard especially when I need to stand out amongst my hommies but it’s a journey I am willing to take and in that other people will see me for who I am and accept me for everything I am and love me for me. Hmmmm, I kind of sound like a super hero don’t I dream book?

“Hey, Batman, I’m rubbing my butt all over your stuff. You’re going to have to rename this the Buttmobile” Lol. That one is for you dream book. :)