The First Time I Embraced My Butterflies

Just a little girl with a big smile, already learning how to be brave on the inside

I still remember the day I learned I wasn’t moving on to Grade 2. At six years old, I didn’t fully understand what it meant to “fail,” but I knew what it felt like to be different. While everyone else packed up their pencil cases for a new adventure, I stayed behind. I had to make all new friends, sit in a classroom that looked the same but suddenly felt like a spotlight was on me.

At that age, it wasn’t about academics — it was about feeling different then the other kids. I didn’t have the language then, but my stomach told the truth. Those were the first butterflies I can remember. The uncomfortable kind. The ones that whisper, “You’re not like the other kids.”

But that year taught me something that no report card ever could. I learned how to start over. I learned that making new friends isn’t about fitting in perfectly — it’s about showing up as you are. I learned that being held back didn’t define me, but how I chose to carry it did.

Looking back, I see that little girl as the beginning of my comeback story. She didn’t have a motivational quote or a coach. She just had courage, even when it came wrapped in shaky hands and nervous smiles.

We all have moments where life doesn’t go as planned. But it’s often in those “not yets” where our grit is born. That first year taught me to embrace my butterflies instead of trying to silence them. Because butterflies don’t mean weakness. They mean you’re standing at the edge of growth.