Creating Yourself

I've been "retired" from my career for about three years now.  During that time, I thought about ways to "find myself" but never seemed to really find anything new.  I turned out to be the person I've always been.  The surprise in all of this self discovery is that we all have an opportunity to recreate ourselves.  There's no reason to stay locked in old habits or lifestyles if they no longer suit us.  For example, I had to be extremely conscious of what I said to my peers while working in the public school system.  There were many people who are far more conservative than I, and one must monitor one's communication output when speaking with children.  That being said, I no longer have the responsibility of pleasing a supervisor. 

At age 52 (for two more weeks) I can dress as I like and say what I feel like saying. But it goes much deeper than that.  When I try to peer inside myself, I can find a way to allow myself to be the person I want to be.  Perhaps it isn't so much "creating" as it is revealing what has been there all of my life.  I can shed labels incorrectly applied by others, or paste on new ones as I see fit.

If you've been looking for yourself, take a peek in the mirror and say, "Hi."  There you are.  Then give some thought to how you'd like to modify the image.  We are each our own canvas.  Use as many colors as you like.  It's your creation, after all.

Credits for Image Components:
Crafty Button Designs, Dhariana, Joyful Expressions, Itkupilli, and Christine Smith