the story comes from within you

Jaya, I’ve awoken to something recently, and it has inspired me during this time in my life.  Here it is: life is scary, and it’s glorious.  You are never going to get it all right. You’ll get it deliciously messed up, and that will be a part of figuring out who you are…

I want you to have faith and hear yourself when you’re just barely holding it together. I want you to be able to talk to friends about their gray areas and be open about your own without judgment. You will succeed and fail in equal measure. Both experiences are worthwhile. They will both define you. The truth is, the minute I surrendered to the flow of the mess of life, everything came together magnificently: my longing for art, my skill as an actor, and my capacities as a friend and mother.

The beauty of being a woman today is in savoring the minutiae of life, all the moments that add up to you…I want you to live in the space that’s your own, your own delicious mess. The story comes from within you.

-letter from Laura Dern to her 12 year old daughter, in InStyle, September 2017