A Change In Me

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

People always tell you to be yourself. That those who matter will love you for you. It’s very true and wonderful advice. It is something I have had to work at, but have reaped wonderful benefits from. My problem now is, who I am seems to be a very fluid concept. I don’t always recognize myself these days. I find myself lost at times, reeling from the changes I see in myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the person I am becoming. But a year ago, I thought my personality was pretty much set in stone for the rest of my life. Typical inexperience and naivete I guess. Now I realize a very important lesson.

New experiences mean discovering new facets of ourselves. Who I am is constantly changing. Even after our “developmental stages”. It may seem obvious to some, I just never had the experience of consciously getting to know myself before. You are you. And no one knows you better than yourself, right?

It’s so strange to not know how you will react to something. They say there is nothing new under the sun. It may be true for humanity, but for us individually, our reactions and experiences are always new and unique. From childhood and adolescence to adult and parenthood. From the first feel of the ocean, to the first snowfall. From anger to love. For every single person it is an experience entirely their own. It adds to the fabric of who they are and who they will become.

The song this post is titled after, A Change in Me, (If you couldn’t tell, I love music and am very inspired by it) is from the Broadway musical, “Beauty and the Beast.” Incidentally one of my favorites. The entire song is about growing up. The change that happens when you leave your childhood fantasies behind and realize there is something so much greater out there, because it’s real!

That’s not to say we abandon our inner child or give up our hopes and dreams. I dream bigger dreams everyday and strive to keep my inner child and joy alive. I depend upon the core of who I am, and who I have always been, even while discovering new things about myself.

No. It is about realizing that there is more out there than we could ever comprehend. We can achieve so much more than we believe! Things I should be familiar with since they are central themes in my books. I digress. Change is a part of life and, currently, a big part of mine. I am excited to discover these new facets of myself and I hope I am ready for all that it brings.