What the past 35 years have taught me....

I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time on Facebook lately. I've been thinking about my past, my present and my future. I've also been spending a ridiculous amount of time stalking other blogs. I've been finding other people who feel the same things as me and think the same things as me. I have found that no matter where a person comes from or no matter their backgrounds or life views we all struggle with being labeled or put into a box. I found a wonderful post about this at the exact right time that I needed to read it. Here is a quote from the blog post I found it on first:


Life gets simpler when we admit that we’re complicated. We’re full of contradictions, disagreements, and competing interests, and that’s okay.

Living a simple life doesn’t have to involve pigeonholing yourself into a particular lifestyle or ideology. You can geek out one day and scream your head off for your favorite NFL team the next. You can revel in getting your hands dirty and then enjoy a foo-foo spa day (a borrowed term, I assure you). Yes, you can even be a Republican on one issue and a Democrat on another.

Realizing that you’re contradictory can be a bit difficult. After all, if you don’t know who you are or what you believe, how can you have any impact on the world? It’s a valid concern. But in reality, there’s nothing wrong with fluidity, gray areas, and flexibility. They add nuance to life, and bring humanity into each and every thought you have.

(you can find the original post here and it is totally worth reading)

This hit home with me. I do not fit into any particular box. I hate being pigeonholed or labeled. I think it defeats the true purpose of who I am and what I have become and made of my life. Sometimes I have tried to make myself fit into one of those dreaded boxes because I feel that is what society needs or wants from me.

BUT

What the past 35 years have taught me is that I am much happier when I don't try to conform myself into something I am not. I am much happier when I am me because that is all I can be.

I sometimes look at my past and wonder if I would do anything different. But then I worry that any changes I make would compromise the essence of who I am today and I realize that NO, I would not change anything. I will keep everything the same because what the past 35 years has taught me is that it's ok to not be boxed, labeled or pigeonholed. Be yourself and you will always be in fashion.