I told you I’d do it.

You didn’t believe in me. You told me I was nothing, that I’d never achieve. I almost believed you. I almost gave up, gave in, gave out. I almost believed all those voices from over the years that said I would fail.

I don’t know where the fire came, but it burned. It burned hard. It burned fast. It burned without relent and without caution. I threw caution to the wind; The wind caught an ember and turned it into a roaring blaze.

I used to say what I wanted to be when I was an adult. Who I wanted to be. What I wanted to do. You rolled your eyes. Don’t you feel silly, now?

I’ve talked to some of my favorite artists. Written about their lyrics, discussed their melodies. I’m a published author working for the magazine I’ve loved since high school.

I wish I could go back and say: “I told you so.”

Sometimes success and self-confidence is the best revenge.