Things that bear repeating

I was archiving some OLD blog material from my tribe.net blog, and came across this post this morning. This is from December 2006, but remains true today.

Things just are what they are. So far, my time travel experiments have only yielded the ability to be hurt like a child, to be immature like a teenager, and to be saucy and jaded like I was in my early 20's.

Just when I think I really have found myself and I know who I am, situations come around to challenge those assertions.

And who I am versus what I represent to other people in my life seems to be vastly divergent at times.

Here's what I know (or think I know). I have been known to be totally wrong.

1. Some people see me as a difficult, temperamental, prickly and disagreeable bitch.

2. Some people see me as a warm, funny, caring, affectionate, fun loving, happy-go-lucky party girl.

3. Some people see me as a hard-driving intellectual, perfectionist academic with no sense of humor.

4. Some people see me as a pragmatic, spiritual, deep and earnest soul with something to teach, something to learn.

5. Some people see me as an unrelenting artist with endless creative potential. Some think I'm a flake that squandered a promising career as a chef.

6. Some find me to be a sex-obsessed pervert, while others think I'm a bit uptight.

So, which of these is true? All of them, I guess. Or none of them. What other people think of me only has a limited relevance in the long run.

All I know is I can still hurt like a child, pine like a teenager, and ache like a woman. As I hobble toward my geriatric years, I just hope that I don't have to taste too much regret.