The Untouchable by Daisy Friedman (17, Nebraska)

​We spend our whole lives being told that we can do anything,
as long as we do our best.
But what if our best isn’t good enough?
It doesn’t feel like your best if you’re comparing
your life to others' lives.
Your journey to others’ journeys.

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So maybe Mom and Dad should’ve said
Do your best, as long as it fits into
a certain time frame
a certain skill set;
Do your best better than others do theirs.
The idea of perfection is just an illusion
because what’s perfect to you may not be perfect to me.
Perfection is the sound of crisp applause on opening night.
Perfection is the feeling of his hand in mine.
Perfection is the small moments in life that seem to matter to nobody else but you,
but those moments remind you that you are you.
You are awake.
You are enough.