On the Bright Side

One of the greatest benefits of getting older is becoming clearer on who I really am and what I am all about. Young people often lack the confidence, skills, and life experience to narrow down exactly what makes them tick. Growing up is a process of trying on different personalities and engaging with different kinds of people to identify which parts of ourselves we want to accentuate and which we want to discard. I used to love the beginning of a new school year. One year I was punk, the next year a cheerleader. I went from Rizzo to Sandy in less than six months. In college, I minored in dance and changed my major three times. If people didn’t know me better, they might think I had Multiple Personality Disorder. Bear with me, I’m not making light of this affliction. In fact, it is one of the reasons I majored in Psychology. I really relate to the idea that there are many, many personalities inside of each of us, and am fascinated by the way these voices are socialized, controlled, ...

I am finally beginning to identify with the wise old sage inside of me. She smiles warmly looking back at younger versions of myself knowing that all will be ok. I am coming to realize that I am one of the must stubborn, blind, optimistic dreamers known to man. Contradictory, but true. It makes me laugh. I’ve always been a philosopher of sorts. Those closest to me throughout my whole life have agreed that while I am lovable, I am weird. I’m not offended... it’s a commentary on my ability to avoid drama and not sweat the small stuff from very early on. I’ve always known deep down that there is something larger than us at work and that our lives are mere blips on the radar of eternity. I knew before I even read Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist that our only job on this earth is to follow the truth in our heart and do what we were put here to do. I guess you could say I’m an old soul. The irony is, with all of this ancient wisdom, it takes me forever to see what is right in front of me. ...