By I was very shy growing up and did not feel like I fit anywhere. I was not popular by any stretch of the imagination. Quiet, introspective, and driven were just a few of the adjectives I would describe myself as. It felt like I had trouble expressing myself properly as well. Being misunderstood was an emotion that I was awfully familiar with growing up, so I tended to gravitate towards musical artists that seemed like they were misunderstood as well. The first time I saw Pink on TV I sensed I had found a kindred spirit. All these years later, I know that to be true.
Buying her first record as a kid who knew extraordinarily little about life at the time, I just liked that she was herself. Her second record made me feel understood. The songs on Misunderstood are still some of my very favorites. With every successive record pink somehow manages to make me feel like she wrote these songs for me, and I know I am not the only one who feels that way. She has a way of seeing the misfits of the world and making us feel like we belong.
My favorite song of Pink’s, among many favorites, is All I Know So Far. I sing this song loud when I have a difficult day remembering that nobody has all the answers. We are all just doing the best we can. It helps me to remember to just be myself as well. Pink and her artistry help make me brave enough to share my story with the world in the hopes that it might help someone else be brave and be themselves too. The gift she gives all of us is that being ourselves might be the best thing we can be and, in the process, we can change the world, making it better for the misfits to come after us. There is no better gift. Thank you, Pink, for sharing your art and heart with the world. I want you to know how important your gifts are and that what you do matters more than you know.
With tremendous amounts of love and gratitude,
~Stacey
