On The Gayle King Show, actor James Earl Jones gave an unintentionally dramatic reading of the lyrics to Justin Bieber’s hit song “Baby”, which is like the literary equivalent of a Nilla wafer. Jones has a Morgan Freeman-esque voice. It’s deep, powerful and perfect for the narration of a bird migration special on Animal Planet. Watching him utter the laments of a 16-year-old boy feels unnatural and yet so right at the same time. 
“You are the only person who gets to decide if you are happy or not—do not put your happiness into the hands of other people. Do not make it contingent on their acceptance of you or their feelings for you. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if someone dislikes you or if someone doesn’t want to be with you. All that matters is that you are happy with the person you are becoming. All that matters is that you like yourself, that you are proud of what you are putting out into the world. You are in charge of your joy, of your worth. You get to be your own validation. Please don’t ever forget that.” — Bianca Sparacino
Excerpted from The Strength In Our Scars by Bianca Sparacino.
