Be Tracy. Be Lynn. Be Amy.
There’s something you should know about me: I’m not very fun.
I don’t mean in a bad way … its not like I’m the opposite of fun.
But fun isn’t my style. I’m more about action, getting stuff done and all in a quick, simple way.
So I’m just letting you know, if you need someone to plan a birthday party, you might want to move to plan b.
I realized this last weekend around my aunties: the funnest people in the universe. With them, ordinary life becomes so dang flippin fun. Breakfast become lol, did you see that with a side of fruit. Simple things become complicated. A room gets balloons and streamers. A cake gets sprinkles, chocolate chips, words, layers and a plastic sign.
The kicker was my fun-loving Little Girl couldn’t get enough. My aunts wooed her into a fun-coma. My guilt started. Why wasn’t I more fun? How could I change? How could I make all those things I don’t like into something I do?
All the way home, I wondered: how can I be fun?
The answer was clear, but hard to admit.
Honest to aunt: that’s not me. That’s not being true. I’m Melissa. I’m a lot of other good things besides fun.
What a relief.
I haven’t thrown fun out the window. But I’ll never be the fun of the party. I’ll never be balloons and streamers.
So who are you? Are you ok with it? Honest to aunt, I hope so.
Be Carmen.
Be Caligator.
Be Kayla.
Be Tracy.
Lynn, Molly, Sarah, Jessica, Ruth, Shea, Jim, Jeffrey, Matt.
Be who you are. Own it.
“Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide.” -Marva Collins
There’s something you should know about me: I’m not very fun.
I don’t mean in a bad way … its not like I’m the opposite of fun.
But fun isn’t my style. I’m more about action, getting stuff done and all in a quick, simple way.
So if you need someone to plan a birthday party, you might want to move to plan b.
I realized this last weekend around my aunties: the funnest people in the universe. With them, ordinary life becomes so dang flippin fun. Breakfast becomes, “lol, did you see that” with a side of fruit. Simple things become complicated. A room gets balloons and streamers. A cake gets sprinkles, chocolate chips, words, layers and a plastic sign.
The kicker was my fun-loving Little Girl couldn’t get enough. My aunts wooed her into a fun-coma. My guilt started. Why wasn’t I more fun? How could I change? How could I make all those things I don’t like into something I do?
All the way home, I wondered and obsessed and fretted.
The answer was clear, but hard to admit.
Honest to aunt: that’s not me. That’s not being true. I’m Melissa. I’m a lot of other good things besides fun.
What a relief.
I haven’t given up on fun. But yes, I can live without balloons and streamers.
So who are you? Are you ok with it? Honest to aunt, I hope so.
Be Carmen.
Be Caligater.
Be Tracy.
Jeffrey, Molly, Sarah, Jessica, Ruth, Shea, Jim, Matt.
Be who you are. Own it.
“Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide.” -Marva Collins
{ 14 comments }
Thanks for the mention and link, Melissa!
This post reminds of something I read from Gretchen Rubin, a blogger and author I really admire.
Be yourself – it’s such a common piece of advice, but I think most of the time we still don’t understand what it means. Finding the balance between who we are by nature and who we want to be, learning which changes are worth making and which traits are better accepted – it’s hard.
***
You know what I love about your blog, Melissa? It’s short, poetic, and most of all, it’s encouraging. I’m always in a better mood after reading. I can’t tell you how wonderful that is.
Be Melissa. That’s plenty good enough
@ Jeffrey – I love that – finding the balance of who we are by nature and who we want to be. That’s exactly what I’m working on these days. THANK YOU for supporting me. Your comment is the kind I can print out and read when I’m feeling down. Cheers!
I’m not fun either! I realized this when a friend in my book club referred to me as the most “ministerial among us.” And I took that as a compliment. Yay for the serious people! We are who we are.
@ Catherine – Yay! Serious is not a bad thing. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for the mention! I am working on becoming okay with who I am. I am still carrying around my little list and working on it. Thanks to your encouragement, especially through this blog, I am checking things off the list.
@ Lynn – Aw, that’s awesome, Lynn. You are an amazing woman I am privileged to know.
This is some great advice i think we all need to start being more comfortable with who we are. great stuff.
@ Quinn – Amen to that!
I can’t build a cool train track or block castle. I’m not good at playing with clay. I leave that stuff to my husband. But I’m good at helping my 3-year-old flip onto and off of the couch, and I’m great at snuggling.
@ Paula – Exactly! We all bring joy to our kids, it just isn’t in the same way.
Melissa, I’m honored to be mentioned here. Thank you!
Having connected with you on the internets, I am SO happy that you are who you are. Because otherwise, I couldn’t have as enormous a blog crush as I currently do.
@ Cali – Aw, a blog crush *swoon*. Have a great week.
Melissa,
Love this post. Love your aunts from afar. I am so with you. I’m not a naturally ebullient person, and that’s ok. I have a good sense of humor, and I often surround myself with fun, funny, and light-hearted people – they help balance me. I’d like to emphasize what you imply here – that not only is it important to be ourselves, but it’s great, it’s wonderful, it’s amazing!! I can be proud of who I am, because there is no one like me, no one with my combination of talents and skills, my essence. I’m working hard on valuing myself – on honoring the things that I do well and differently from anyone else in the world.
Cool! Thanks for the post.
Linda
Hi Melissa.
My question is “Why do we desire so much to be like other people?”
Is it because we have learned to be uniform, that we have learned to fit one mold, to be like others.
We are often told be like this and them, to fit in and to not be difficult and different.
I so agree with your point and that of Linda, we now need to emphasize the opposite and be fine about being ourselves, about being different and to accept difference in others without our programed urge to be like them.
My whole life I too wanted to fit in but no more.
For a long time I was a city girl with a career. For the last 10 years thank goodness I have become who I really am, a country girl, absolutely drooling over my veggies and my preserved food instead of shops and career plans.
Love Wilma
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