This Is Me…

We are rarely asked, “who are you?” The typical questions we get are “how are you?” or “what do you do?” But if asked, “Who are you?” What would you say? The challenge with that question, for me, is that we are complex. How we see ourselves or how we show up to others depends on many factors. What environment we’re in, what’s happening in life, what role you’re playing at that moment, and even what kind of day we’re having. I’m fascinated that some people around me seem to think I have it all together. Queue the title of this blog! Our lives are complicated and if you think what people put into the world, especially on social media, is the real deal, it’s not, it’s most likely just the “highlight reel” or only part of the story. We’re all playing multiple roles every day so it’s seemingly impossible to really know someone in their entirety, even when we live with them for decades. In some of those roles we’re crushing it and in others, we’re failing miserably.  I want to explore those roles to better understand how we connect and how we can lean on others to make progress. My main characters are complex so to kick things off I’ll start with some words that come to mind to introduce you.

The Mom:

Three ~Loving~ Joyful~ Irritable~ Listener~ Goofy~ Problem supporter~ Explosions~ Laughter~ Not good enough~ Dancing~ Adventure~ Sacrifice~ Care Taker~ Compassion~ Purpose ~Priority

   

This is “My Heart”

The Wife:

17 years~ Safe~ Loved~ Self-preservation~ Vulnerable~ Scared~ Sickness~ Attraction~ Provider~ Care taker~ Pressure~ Laughter~ Frustrating~ Trust~ Happy~ Neglect~ Dependable~ Inspiration~ Strength

  

This is “My Partner”

The Child:

Perfection~ Rebel~ Outspoken~ Adaptive~ Temperamental~ Expectations~ Struggle~ Broken~ Judgmental~ Resentful~ Care taker~ Loved~ Selfish

     

This is “The Foundation”

The Sister:

Friend~ Competition~ Support~ Distance~ Pretending~ Alcoholism~ Difficult~ Sad~ Care Taker~ Helpless~ Pride~ Admiration~ History

   

This is “Life Support”

The Professional:

Confident~ Imperfect~ Supportive~ Independent~ Worthy~ Learner~ Purpose~ Growth~ Competent~ Grateful~ Frustrating~ Control~ Provider

    

This is “The Girl Boss”

The Friend:

Loyal~ Inconsistent~ Vulnerable~ Giving~ Lucky~ Center~ Easy~ Silly~ Open~ Caring~ History~ Depth~ Laughter~ Supportive~ Tears~ Not enough time

     

This is “My Tribe”

The Girl:

Introverted~ Tired~ Curious~ Passive~ Introspective~ Emotional~ Silence~ Grief~ Pause~ Journal~ Meditation~ Reflection~ Warm~ Hurting~ Compassion~ Spiritual~ Pain ~Enough

This is “Me”

So that’s how I would start to answer “who are you?”…at least the starring cast. I’m sure I’ll continue to discover different versions of myself as I grow and learn. Sharing it on the surface feels easy but as I plan to dive deeper it feels unsettling. I’m excited to know more about how others juggle all the roles we play and expectations we feel.  I would love for you to come along for the ride with me on this journey….but I’m not exactly sure where we may end up.