Being me

Just this week I was reminded that I am, at heart, a free spirit.

My life has been one of distinctly marching to the beat of not just my own drummer but my very own marching band. Even in high school, that bastion of submission and assimilation, I went my own way and stuck to those qualities that made me who I am.

But it can be easy to be pulled from the path. Other people's affirmation is important. I never believe anyone who says that don't care what other people think of them. We all care, on some level, what people think of us. Not what all people think of us but some.

I like bright colours - pinks, reds, blues, purples. I like flashes of colour -I like the way they slash through darkness. For a long time I had a pink wallet. It had been a gift from a friend and I used it until it was literally coming apart at the seams.

On a trip to Los Angeles, I mentioned the desire to buy a new wallet and someone purporting to be a friend made it very clear to me that what I needed was a sensible, classic black wallet. I'm not a fan of black wallets. Truthfully, when it comes to accessories, I'm not a fan of being sensible. I have to be sensible and serious in large parts of my life already and so where I can be whimsical, I want to be.

But, because I wanted the affirmation of this person and (wrongly) assumed they wanted the best for me, I allowed myself to be talked into the classic, boring, sensible black wallet. I've had it for two years and hated it ever since I had it.

Today though, I am back to being me. I have thrown off the shackles of the limiting sensible wallet and gone with what makes me happy:

Isn't it beautiful???