I’m a funny and attentive friend. I know this because of how Sophie keeps reminding me how much she loves my company and how I make her laugh and allow her to be herself. I’m a sister who drops everything to hear Emily out when she’s wrung out with grief and despair at not being able to conceive her much wanted baby.

I’m a daughter who accepts that my mother can see my flaws but who loves me all the same, maybe even more actually, for them. I’m an exceptionally proud woman, one who knows that I’ve struggled against the odds to get the qualifications and career opportunities that have come my way from my humble beginnings. I love how my father did his best for us all, even though he didn’t have much to offer us financially. Thanks to him I grew up knowing the importance of family values and how, no matter what, when the going gets tough he’s the one who will always be on my side.

I’m a music maker and a singer and I can find words that can move people, even if it’s just a smile on a child’s face when I remind them they’ve a lucky star and a lucky number. I know how to make a child feel special. Music is my passion, but teaching is my vocation and I can’t wait to find a school that respects and appreciates all I have to offer, no matter where on the map that might be.

I feel better to have reminded myself of all of this. I stand up taller, prouder, and I know that coming here today to the airport is exactly where I’m meant to be. It’s important to remind ourselves sometimes of what we were put on this planet for. We spend far too much time focusing on what we do wrong, beating ourselves up over mistakes and wrong decisions instead of learning from them. Every decision, every experience, every person we meet gets us to where we are meant to be in life. Being wrong, feeling confused, battling through the fog of life can only make us grow and shape us to become better people.

I’m flawed, I’m imperfect in so many ways but I’m still learning and I will continue to do so every day as I weave my way through whatever decisions life wants to throw at me next.