#SOL

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Who am I? Who do you think I am? Who do they think I am? What does it matter?

It is so hard to stay true to yourself, or at least the person you think you are, when others are beating you up or trying to hold you down. There is only one me albeit an ever evolving me.

Deep down I know exactly who I am – faults and all. Most times I dwell on the faults. Yet I expend so much time and energy trying to live up to some fictional version of me. A version created by those around me who think they know who I should be, who judge who I am. A version created by the need to live up to others expectations instead of my own wants and dreams.

I like the person I am. Oh sure, I could weigh less, exercise more, or eat healthier. But that just addresses the shell of who I am. Not my core.

I am sensitive, and I have been known to cry easily.
I am serious, and don’t take the world around me lightly.
I am creative – always looking for new ways to express myself
I am compassionate, and always try to put myself in someone else’s shoes.
I am loyal – loving the same man for nearly 43 years – a rarity these days
I am a mother – so very proud of my grown children
I am a nona – loving my grandchildren to death for they have stolen my heart.

This is part of who I am. Don’t look at me and assume to know who I am or how I feel.
Dig deeper, or you may just be wrong.