Life is too short not to be who you are. It’s a pity many of us don’t learn that till we’re older.
I have two acquaintances, both gay who won’t come out of the closet. One, in his 60s can’t because of his parents, living a life of such misery trying to be someone he’s not, while they still think there’s hope for grandchildren.
The other guy has no one to be nervous about, but sadly, can’t look at himself in the mirror, so we all collude pretending along with him.
I’ve grown fond of a friend’s mother tooling through her 80s who suffers from mascular degeneration, limiting her actions not being able to see, but that didn’t stop her from buying a new bed, getting her hair done every week and dressing up like a movie star, to celebrate with her family. I so wish I knew her when she was younger because, what a force of nature, always being exactly who she is not allowing age to change her in any way.
Then there’s me, an adult child of alcoholics emotionally scarred, but with the balls of a gladiator. I often think I could have done more in my life if I wasn’t so busy just surviving, but it’s who I am, for better or worse…kind, generous, overly sensitive, forgetting where I put my glasses, but determined to do my best despite all obstacles.
You know why?
Because life is just too short not to be who you are.
SB
It is! It’s also a shame that society dictates a set of rules people feel compelled to follow. Not the “thou shalt not kill” rules but the “you have to be just like me” rules.
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Hear Hear.
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We like who you are (though we didn’t know about the balls!) 😉
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It’s why I rarely wear skirts. 🙂
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Ah yes, the line of my frock is often disturbed.
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We fashion flies understand. 🙂
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Words to live by—and hopefully, they don’t fall on deaf ears. Being an original (who we all really are) should not have to require courage. ‘O)
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Acceptance of one another should be a social or at least morale requirement. Hi Paul. Nice seeing that nice, friendly, red nose. 🙂
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Thanks, Susannah, nice to be back—I hope. It got a little busier than I thought it was going to be for those first two months of this year. You’re right, people accepting other folks really should be in our DNA, and yet people act like we should all come from the same sort of mold—unwilling to embrace any variety.
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This has got zip to do with the piece but…just want to say, how beautifully you write, even the last phrase…unwilling to embrace any variety…is so poignant. Well written prose of any kind is like a cool breeze to this thin girl…:)
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Knowing how much you love writing, that compliment really means a great deal to me coming from you, Susannah. Thank you for that, sincerely. :O)
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It’s true, there Kemosabe. 🙂
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:O)
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Wait until I tell V that her celebrity status has just gone up a notch. I’ll have to roll out the red carpet Friday when we go food shopping…lol!
It’s perplexing to me how people still struggle with coming out, especially when we live in a culture where mysteries have taken a back seat in society. It’s so sad to have to live an unauthentic life.
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So agreed. V is so inspiring to me…she’s so brave and tenacious. Keeps going no matter what. I tend to stall, like a faulty Vespa. Bill Hicks had a great line, when he was asked, if he believed in God, he said, yes, he just didn’t believe in people. Hear Hear Willie, wherever you are.
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As a teen, I remember getting the advice of being true to who you are and not trying to be who you are not. I also recall lamenting that I didn’t know who I was. I sure as heck didn’t want to be the awkward but funny geek that I seemed to be. I felt I was meant to be a sexy femme fatal, which isn’t easy when you’re 5’6″, 98lbs, and flat as a board. This was during the curvy ‘sweater girl’ era.
I think the trick isn’t just being true to yourself, but actually having a glimmer of an idea of just who you are; that elusive trait of self-confidence.
On another note, my parents taught me early that no matter how much you dislike someone, it is underhanded to make fun of something they have no control over; jug ears, lisp, etc. If only everyone would learn not to fight dirty.
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Or hearing loss…we could have been sisters since I was my full height in the 6th grade. I had terrible posture, trying to make myself look shorter. I kept getting detention because of it. Clapped so many fucking erasers Skinny, just for being tall. sigh
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Susannah, I wasn’t as tall as you, but I remember the hunched shoulders. It wasn’t until college that I learned to stand tall.
Kids today have no idea about clapping erasers and the white cloud.
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I remember it all like it was yesterday, feeling freakish in my tallness. Now, I’m not even considered very tall at all. Times, to quote Mr. Dylan, are’a changin. Have a nice weekend Madam, and as always, thanks.
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Thanks for making me realize I’m happy with who I am. Hadn’t thought about that.
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Self-acceptance rocks. It’s ours for the taking. 🙂
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Agreed. Well-said. Btw, I read a series called the “In Death” series by JD Robb (Nora Robert’s nom de plum). It is a great series and concerns a cop who is always who she is exactly, has been through hell, married to an ex-criminal billionaire, and reminds me a lot of your attitude – good.
Read “Naked in Death”. Check it out. Sci-fi, Crime Drama, Romance…a bit steamy, never too gross, and a lot of fun.
Scott
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