My place in the world.

Part of being human is that we are constantly changing, on the path of growing up, making mistakes, learning from them, taking risk or even taking a break and staying in your safe zone. Every single day we learn something new, even when we don’t really pay attention. A couple of days ago, a dear friend of mine asked me what has been the best moment of my life so far? Or which version of my self has been my favorite?... of course, he had me thinking for a bit, but with so much certainty I replied to him that who I am right now, would be the best version of my self and I want to share with you why.

I have always thought that everything happens for a reason, and even though It sounds cheesy, life itself always finds a way to give me the answers I needed to hear. Over a year ago I decided to share my story and share the way I see my world, my skin, my uniqueness. Before that, I never thought of myself as special or even extraordinary. It was just something that was a part of me, trying not to make a big deal out of it, and because of that, it was one of the reasons I doubted about talking about Vitiligo. I made myself believe that people wouldn’t want to hear about it since it was not an “Issue” for me anymore and that it was really not a big deal, so there was no need to talk about it. But then, I knew that I had to take a risk, because something was telling me that I wasn’t going to regret it. Now I know, the little voice inside me was right.

I am beyond grateful for every single person who I've had the pleasure to connect with because I decided to share my story. Every time I get a message saying that something that I said or wrote meant something or encouraged them to accept themselves or look at things differently; it literally sets a spark in my soul. In every support group that we have I always learn about the importance of sharing and connecting with people who understand you, because we all have our different process, our own way to deal with things. It is important to let everybody know that they are not alone, ever. That it doesn’t matter at what age you started with you Vitiligan journey, we all go through those same feelings and I know it can get very deep. Being a part of a community reminds you to keep looking forward, because they are with you in every step of the way.

So, if you asked me, why is it now the best version of myself? The answer is because I found my place in a community, I found my voice and my strength. I maybe even found one of the reasons of why I was selected for that 1-3% percent in the world. This year has been full of surprises, but each one of them has challenged me in a way I got to know myself even more. And now I know that if I hadn’t taken the risk, I would still be in my bubble… which was not a bad one, but a lonely one, indeed.

Andrea Islas

IG: @mivitiligoyyo