I Honor who I am

I Honor who I am

Forest at Night
Image vie Pexels
Sometimes the affirmations that we need pop up right when we need a specific reminder to make it through the day and not feel as if you are going crazy. The process of figuring out who I am, or rather, rediscovering who I am, has been a road filled with boulders and precarious crossings. As children, when we are young, we are exactly who we are. Unapologetically ourselves.

However, somewhere along the way, growing up, many of us lose the concept of who we are. We are told to hide certain sides of us, as society somehow determines what is acceptable and what is not. Meanwhile, we ignore that little voice inside all of us. That voice who says, “but that’s not how I feel,” “I don’t believe in xyz,” and “hold up, wait a minute.” That voice that acts as an extension, a reminder, of who we are. Find that voice. Use it.
I would rather die of burns in the flames of my passion than live a slow death in the comfort of conformity.
We are very complex. But, on the basic levels, we are quite similar. We have been instructed to tone down who we are in order to fit in with society. When that happens, we become a homogeneous group. If someone rocks the boat and challenges the status quo, they often become labeled as a difficult person and ostracized from the groups where they fit in just fine before they found their voice.

Throughout my life, I have worn several different hats and filled so many different roles. Was I honoring who I am during all of that time? No. Why? Because I learned to be a conformist, which was the easy route to go. I am learning to find and use my voice. If anything, it is so others don’t have to go through the same things I experience. And, if others do have a similar experience, I want them to know that they are not alone.

Who am I? I am a 42-year-old living in the body of someone who has been in a crypt for the past few decades. I am a 12-year veteran of the military. I live a vegan lifestyle. I am an advocate for others (and learning how to advocate for myself). I live with chronic pain. I have to navigate a health care system that is set up to fail. I am a witch. I am a dog mom. I am a partner. I am a creative being who is trying her best to make it through this thing we call life.




Who were you before you shaped yourself into what society deems as appropriate and worthy of all of the good things in life?

Location: Durango, CO, USA

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