Who Are You, Really?

Too old to be wild and free still

Too young to be over the hill

Maybe I'll settle down, get married
Or stay single and stay free
Which road I travel
Is still a mystery to me

~Kenny Chesney, Beer In Mexico

We’re all works in progress. Every single one of us. And what we want today might be different than what we want tomorrow.

***

Sometimes, I see a husband and wife walking through suburbia on a Friday night, their dog leading the way and their cute baby smiling from the stroller, and I think: I’d really like to do that someday.

And sometimes, I see the exact same thing, and I think: No, that’s not for me. I want to pursue a career, travel, do what I want, when I want, with whom I want.

***

In the midst of change, it’s easy to question what we think of ourselves. The thing we don’t realize is WHAT we are is very different from WHO we are.

Because regardless of whether you’re a wife/husband or a mother/father, a dreamer or a doer, a traveler, a runner, a cook, a photographer (I could go on and on and on), you can always be whomever you choose.

I choose (and strive) to be a person who:

• Sees the beauty that surrounds her, every minute of every day. In a sunset. In a fresh snowfall. In a stranger’s smile. In a pet’s unconditional love.
• Trusts in people’s good intentions and believes the best of them (without allowing herself to be taken advantage of).
• Loves without limits.
• Finds a healthy balance between standing her ground and being ridiculously stubborn.
• Embraces her wild side without letting go of the good girl she really is.
• Knows what she deserves and refuses to settle for anything less.
• Travels everywhere she’s dreamed of and doesn’t let money, or lack thereof, deter her.
• Surrounds herself with people who support her in everything, always, and learns to let go of those who don’t.
• Goes from “champagne taste on a beer budget” to “champagne taste on a champagne budget.” (But settles for money in the bank. :))
• Allows life to happen because she realizes some things aren’t meant to be controlled.
• Doesn't let change cripple her, no matter how afraid she is.
• Knows the difference between healthy and unhealthy anxiety and listens to her intuition from the get-go.
• Embraces imperfection, because imperfection is beautiful.
• Grows up, but never grows old.

***

The road we travel is always a mystery, but it doesn’t have to be frightening—and is definitely less so—when we figure out who (not what) we are. ... So, who are you?