Living Consciously

Blogging has always intrigued me. I love to read blogs - but until today, I'd never considered starting one. Surely my life or views aren't any more interesting or important than anyone else's. Why on Earth would anyone want to read about what I have to say?

Then it hit me.

I need to do this for me. If only to live my life in a conscious way. If someone else finds my words insightful or they help them in some way - it's a double blessing.

2008 was an interesting year for me. I spent a good majority of it Becoming Me.

It's funny. I married at 19 and a good friend warned me off - saying I didn't know who I was yet. Of course, with all the wisdom of a teenager, I'd vehemently replied that I knew exactly who I was. After all, I'd lived a lot more life in my 19 years than most. But as I round the corner into my 37th year on this Earth, I realize that learning who you are is a journey that never ends.

Having been through an unusual childhood (perhaps we'll get to that another day), I thought I'd made peace with it all. I thought I knew precisely who I was. But the reality is, I had learned to be a chameleon. I adapted to those around me and the environment I was in.

Having spent the better part of the last year taking a break from dating has been, quite possibly, the healthiest thing I have done for myself. It's not only provided time for me to spend the last couple of years I have with my daughter under my roof, but also to really look inside at who I am - without bouncing me off of the mirror of another person.

2008 was bountiful in bringing me some of the best friends I've ever had in my life. It reconnected me with some old ones. It led me to do a stage production.

2008 pushed me to taxi down the runway of life. In 2009, I'm ready to take flight.

License be damned.