tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post4193194608137774371..comments2023-09-29T06:00:09.242-05:00Comments on Julie Pippert: Using My Words: Mid-life crisis tears local blogging mom asunderJulie Pipperthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169574697104642479noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-18605422691064974402007-06-01T09:12:00.000-05:002007-06-01T09:12:00.000-05:00SM, you know, I think I have hit that same point. ...SM, you know, I think I have hit that same point. Adult developmental leap! Woo hoo let's hear it for progress and maturity!<BR/><BR/>This: You are terrific. Opinionated? Of course. Any self-respecting person should be. And those who aren't? It's my belief that they're as opinionated as everyone else, only they keep it to themselves.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for the first part, more thanks for all of it, and amen.<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>Magpie, thanks, that's a cool thing to say, especially from a person I find cool and inspiring. Thanks!<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>Roz, you're like the little sister I would probably have tormented as much as the one I had but deep down would have loved the best. :) <BR/><BR/>Chani's switch. <BR/><BR/>We've been having a discussion over in that other area of the blogosphere about "if you keep meeting the wrong people maybe you are in the wrong circles" and it has got me thinking about this idea of who you are and where you are, KWIM?<BR/><BR/>I agree that evolution is important, and I also concur about clinging to the ones that reach shore.<BR/><BR/>Love you. Thanks!<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>Gwen, I have to ponder whether I worry about stagnated people. Selfishly, I think my main concern is them in relation to me. But I agree that I tend to respect and like more people who evolve, so I agree that is the beauty of aging.<BR/><BR/>I absolutely agree that is conscious living, and my growth is in finding and residing in that balanced middle.<BR/><BR/>Mary said it best, so I'll refer back down to her. :)<BR/><BR/>Thanks Gwen.Julie Pipperthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03169574697104642479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-51532570161295045572007-06-01T09:00:00.000-05:002007-06-01T09:00:00.000-05:00Kyla, I officially have decided to call it an Adul...Kyla, I officially have decided to call it an Adult Developmental Leap. Glad to be in such good company too. And thank you for your words...they were perfect.<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>Jen, thank you, I am so glad you feel space here. That is important---that people know how important they are to me.<BR/><BR/>And this: boxes are so convenient. when we put people into prelabeled ones it means we don't have to think as hard.<BR/><BR/>Awesome. You know, I can't recall if I cut my lazy comment. I think I did. I couldn't put into words what I meant, but you did it for me. That's it, beautifully. Thanks.<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>LM, I can tell you do understand. I can also tell from the Good-Bad thing you did that you REALLY know how many sides to the story there are. :) And I'm really glad because you're cool, really a neat person from all I know so far.<BR/><BR/>Harry was an asshat. Narcissus complex big time. (Big words coming from someone with a bit of a Pygmalion complex LMAO!)<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>K, I think I really like Royboy, maybe as much as I like you. :) You guys need to drive a little west and have a margarita with us. And thank you for your wonderful words. I will keep them. :)Julie Pipperthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03169574697104642479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-29526800862228543182007-06-01T08:48:00.000-05:002007-06-01T08:48:00.000-05:00Mary, I have to say I don't know *why* I keep bein...Mary, I have to say I don't know *why* I keep being so surprised by your amazing understanding and insight.<BR/><BR/>This: I think the trick is to balance that teeter totter in the middle--a middle which doesn't make apologies and placate, but also acknowledges the heaviness, grief perhaps, at feeling that you would be better accepted as someone other than who you really are.<BR/><BR/>And this: The changes I ended up making in my attitudes and behavior had to do with the ones that I couldn't live with. The ones that were hurting me. And I think those are the things to worry about changing. To change for others does result in all the things you are writing about here and it does kill you just a little bit each time you do it.<BR/><BR/>You nailed all of it. Thank you.Julie Pipperthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03169574697104642479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-73092040182424128132007-05-31T13:29:00.000-05:002007-05-31T13:29:00.000-05:00Okay. I'm back. I should be paying the bills, do...Okay. I'm back. I should be paying the bills, doing laundry, getting ready for a camping trip, exercising... It never stops, does it?<BR/><BR/>So, I printed out this post and, of course, in many ways I could relate. I sometimes have felt as if I have been dismissed because I "know" so much, I like "smart" books and movies, etc. I'm used to it and I do have friends who have similar interests in discussing ideas, books, etc. But sometimes I feel a little sad and misunderstood. It is as if I am not seen as a whole person, just part of a person.<BR/><BR/>But can any one person ever see any other person in their entirety? I'm not sure it is possible.<BR/><BR/>I was struck by your words about tamping down on your ingrained responses or tamping down your anger and resentment. This is a cruel teeter totter isn't it? I think the trick is to balance that teeter totter in the middle--a middle which doesn't make apologies and placate, but also acknowledges the heaviness, grief perhaps, at feeling that you would be better accepted as someone other than who you really are.<BR/><BR/>One day I was having a conversation with a friend. She was telling me that she used to think that it wasn't possible to embrace creativity and beauty and the arts without being a little high strung, a person who required a lot of energy to be around. Until she met me. She told me that I seemed to be able to balance those things and that she saw I could embrace that artistic nature and still be something of a sensible person.<BR/><BR/>(There's a point to this story. I promise.)<BR/><BR/>My response to her was that I wasn't always able to balance those things. I had such a sensitive and idealistic nature that I was always feeling hurt, betrayed, disappointed. I told her I had to change in order to survive.<BR/><BR/>My point is this: The changes I ended up making in my attitudes and behavior had to do with the ones that <I>I</I> couldn't live with. The ones that were hurting me. And I think those are the things to worry about changing. To change for others does result in all the things you are writing about here and it does kill you just a little bit each time you do it.<BR/><BR/>(This all made more sense when I was thinking it in my head.)<BR/><BR/>My point really being that I agree with you. That changing for others doesn't work. It is better to wait for and find those few people who get you. There is a phrase, from Scripture I believe, that says "deep calls to deep." We just have to learn to recognize the call.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10270726693980247861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-9501433699982783112007-05-31T12:23:00.000-05:002007-05-31T12:23:00.000-05:00Okay Julie, I am way behind. I've been sick and b...Okay Julie, I am way behind. I've been sick and busy and blah, blah, blah. I'm going to print out this post and start here and try to catch up next week. I don't like missing out on the discussions that happen around here! :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10270726693980247861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-49691868663362291082007-05-31T08:42:00.000-05:002007-05-31T08:42:00.000-05:00I just wanted to pop back over here to say that I'...I just wanted to pop back over here to say that I've given it some more thought and I believe I only mentioned ignoring what others think in hopes of convincing myself to do the same. I find that I have no clear sense of self, which gives the input of others too much weight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-40781804287148143872007-05-31T00:41:00.000-05:002007-05-31T00:41:00.000-05:00I've read this post a few times...I actually read ...I've read this post a few times...I actually read it when it first went up last night, I just couldn't find the right words to leave here for you. It isn't that you didn't leave room for me to speak them, I just couldn't find within myself words worthy of leaving. <BR/><BR/>There are these great big moments of becoming in life, and if you lucky enough to witness it in someone else's life, it is truly a blessing. Thank you for sharing your moment with us, Julie.<BR/><BR/>I'm going through my own personal evolution (which sounds much more pleasant than crisis of any sort). It is an interesting experience, shedding off old layers of who I was or pretended to be, feeling this brand new skin stretch around my bones, hearing my voice that has always been the same, but is somehow different now. <BR/><BR/>You are beautiful, Julie, I imagine you always have been, even in the days you were hiding it...and each time you shed those layers, you become a little more beautiful and whole. Be yourself, it is who you were meant to be.Kylahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03311014761113076785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-41491591489235145422007-05-30T16:37:00.000-05:002007-05-30T16:37:00.000-05:00you know, i always feel like there is space over h...you know, i always feel like there is space over here for me.<BR/><BR/>boxes are so convenient. when we put people into prelabeled ones it means we don't have to think as hard.Girlplustwohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07056576921114387218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-13501944666289005422007-05-30T14:31:00.000-05:002007-05-30T14:31:00.000-05:00God, Julie. Sometimes I read your stuff & I wonde...God, Julie. Sometimes I read your stuff & I wonder if I've met you before or if we are somehow related. We have so much in common.<BR/><BR/>I've spent my life trying to please other people as well. I played a chameleon game and sometimes I still do it. Often. But it's exhausting. Sometimes I wonder if my role playing has much to do with why I am introvert. Not in the shy sense, but in the sense that I need time alone to be me without a mask in order to recharge. You sound very similar.<BR/><BR/>I don't mind telling you that sometimes you are "too much" or intimidating. But, hell, so am I. I love that about you. I love that about *me*. I think many of us floating around the Blogosphere are "too much." Why else would we do so much naval gazing? But it's not a bad thing. I really agree with Mary. Some people who say you are "too much" are really making comments about their own insecurities. <BR/><BR/>Well, I'm not sure where I was going with all this but I do know that people who never change bore me to tears. You, my dear, are never boring.<BR/><BR/>(Btw, Harry was an asshat.)Lawyer Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819273107327846943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-68465081979641074952007-05-30T14:22:00.000-05:002007-05-30T14:22:00.000-05:00Royboy said recently that we aren't so much square...Royboy said recently that we aren't so much square pegs trying to fit into round holes as we are oval pegs- we almost fit, we look like we might, but we don't. I think the identity crisis comes from not fitting into any one category. <BR/><BR/>I guess everyone has their perception about who or what is "too much". Personally, the only people I find "too much" are those who lack respect for others. <BR/><BR/>Julie, people who really see you know who you are. You are genuine.<BR/><BR/>For me, there is never "too much" Julie. Now I must go catch up -since I've been gone a week.Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09427175530813402719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-27039517345740669072007-05-30T14:05:00.000-05:002007-05-30T14:05:00.000-05:00I've historically been sensitive to how others see...I've historically been sensitive to how others see me. And I've spent way too much time tailoring myself on the basis of those intuitions.<BR/><BR/>But last year I decided I was getting too old to do that.<BR/><BR/>We have only the one life.<BR/><BR/>We might as well feel comfortable with who we are.<BR/><BR/>Else what a waste!<BR/><BR/>You are terrific. Opinionated? Of course. Any self-respecting person should be. And those who aren't? It's my belief that they're as opinionated as everyone else, only they keep it to themselves.Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05602868040771218507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-31559629472870155002007-05-30T13:56:00.000-05:002007-05-30T13:56:00.000-05:00Hey - I find you inspiring, not intimidating! Kee...Hey - I find you inspiring, not intimidating! Keep at it!Magpiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15460136246441367993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-92103478617650242302007-05-30T11:47:00.000-05:002007-05-30T11:47:00.000-05:00Oh, Julie, you know I struggle with this constantl...Oh, Julie, you know I struggle with this constantly. <BR/><BR/>I struggle with it in my marriage, in work, in play. That I'm "too smart", "too intense", too everything, almost.<BR/><BR/>I keep swinging back and forth between Chani's "f*ckit" swith and the accomodating switch. There's got to be a happy medium there somewhere, I'm just having a hard time finding it.<BR/><BR/>And, I suppose in a way I don't want to find it. I am me and, even though I have down moments, I kind of like the journey I am on. Who I am becoming. I know I'm a good person and if others can't see that through the frenzy that is me ... that's there problem. (I guess I'm swinging closer to the "f*ckit" switch currently.)<BR/><BR/>Stagnation is not a good thing. Ever. For children or adults. It's not good in friendships, in work, in love. How are we ever to become our best selves if we don't continue evolving? <BR/><BR/>People get swept up in the wake, often involuntarily, and some are swept aside but I tend to think that those that make it to shore with me are the ones I should cling to, fight for.<BR/><BR/>All the others can "Kiss my go to hell" as my great aunt Mary used to say.kalirozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10413769558136831135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-65146988498414990452007-05-30T11:35:00.000-05:002007-05-30T11:35:00.000-05:00I worry about people whose personal growth stagnat...I worry about people whose personal growth stagnates after a point, although that really isn't my business, what other people are doing. I really think this is the beauty of aging, that we finally learn to be comfortable in our skin, to be less deeply wounded by the criticisms of others, to accept the essence of who we are while still working to live peaceably in a community. And part of living peaceably is, ironically, deciding if the criticisms of others are a)valid and b)worth our worry, if they are indeed valid. <BR/><BR/>For me, some of the things people don't like about me are true flaws. I've heard them enough, throughout my life, to know that they aren't just the jerking knee of all insecure or little people everywhere. But only a few of them--the flaws, I mean--concern me enough to work on. To me, it always comes back to balance: not every person who tells me I am *whatever the snipe du jour is* is wrong; and not every person is right either. The goal of conscious living is to tease the two apart and find some truth in the middle, a truth that I can live with.<BR/><BR/>See, I am always slightly taken aback by those rough, brassy personalities (who mostly appear on television reality shows, ahem) who say things like, "Well, this is who I am and I'm not changing for anybody." There's validity in that response, but I feel like it doesn't go far enough, since we are all part of a larger society that would be better off if we treated it with respect. (This isn't about you, Julie, but just about the danger, in general, of "not changing," if you see what I mean.)Gwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12526629366170486737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-41494678611087918072007-05-30T10:59:00.000-05:002007-05-30T10:59:00.000-05:00Chani, that's it exactly. At some point, we have t...Chani, that's it exactly. At some point, we have to back away from teh round hole and just be the square peg we each are. With courtesy, kindness, respect and consideration for others as well as ourselves.<BR/><BR/>And that's what I am doing: losing my overconcern.<BR/><BR/>I also agree that we evolve, well, most of us, usually. :)<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the compliment.<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>Gina, yes, and thanks. I wish we better understood the process of adult development leaps. Better accepted it. Like we do with children.<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>Christine, it's not trite: that's the succinct summary of my point. I have had to learn and accept that I am just right. <BR/><BR/>I don't plan on changing like that...or toning myself down. This is more of that living thoughtfully and consciously stuff I talk about a lot. <BR/><BR/>I am making myself conscious of my instinctive, no, make that my habitual reaction of trying to tone myself down *when it isn't necessary* or shouldn't be asked of me.<BR/><BR/>Exactly, like I said to Gina, and like she said, I wish we better understood adult development leaps. <BR/><BR/>That's my new term. No more midlife crisis. :)<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>Aliki, oh, I hope you read what I wrote to Christine just above this. I'm not editing myself or changing anything other than a bad habit of editing myself when I shouldn't.<BR/><BR/>I will probably dine out for a week on your compliment, thank you. <BR/><BR/>But it also illustrates a lesson I have had to learn: the people who are true like me, and do not ask me to be who they want.<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>SB, your question was hardest of all. I do care what others think; I probably always will. But as with everything, there is a healthy medium for that, and this is the point of my post: that's where I am working to be and stay.<BR/><BR/>You make good points. Thanks. :)<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>Scribbit, I am not sure whether that is good or bad, LOL! I absolutely agree---and this is a cornerstone of my "midlife crisis" point---that we continually evolve and self-reflect.<BR/><BR/>***<BR/><BR/>Atypical, it is truly interesting that despite the differences, it can lead to similar thoughts and feelings. As much as I ask for people to accept and understand me (and my changes) like you I also have to work to extend the same thing sometimes.<BR/><BR/>I like how you put that: battle between inner three year old and diplomat.<BR/><BR/>You were def. alert enough and not a backhand in there anywhere. :)Julie Pipperthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03169574697104642479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-71421242634406751632007-05-30T10:30:00.000-05:002007-05-30T10:30:00.000-05:00Mary, you have beautifully expressed exactly where...Mary, you have beautifully expressed exactly where I am with this.<BR/><BR/>Adolescence can create some pretty bad habits, which die hard, not the least of which is the concept that the ee cummings quote addresses, and which you touch on with the idea of community living.<BR/><BR/>In adolescence, the expectation/message is so frequently, "Be Just Like Me...Or Else."<BR/><BR/>And of course it's a time teeming with insecurity.<BR/><BR/>For a long time (too long), I lived as if it was my responsibility to always cater to expectation, in every situation. The trouble with this is multifold, obviously, LOL, including (but not limited to) frustration when I fail to please or be rewarded for my effort.<BR/><BR/>Who I am and how I behave is within my control. How people accept (or don't) and respond to that is not. So, I have been working to wisely know the difference and to live better within that.<BR/><BR/>As I wrote, I do agree with you that to some degree we must compromise within a group situation or relationship. Grease the wheels. Like that LOL. :)<BR/><BR/>But I'm sticking with your first case...and leaving behind worrying about the second overmuch.<BR/><BR/>Thanks. :)Julie Pipperthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03169574697104642479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-5002633466602110422007-05-30T10:02:00.000-05:002007-05-30T10:02:00.000-05:00I really believe that people who tell someone she ...I really believe that people who tell someone she is 'too much' are really saying that they are 'too little'. If I am plodding along on my skis, and dodging the downhills, and a competition class skier sweeps by me, I can have one of two reactions. The first is 'Wow, that's beautiful, wish I could do that but I'm having a good time plodding anyway'. That's what a person secure in herself would say. The second is 'What a show off, is she trying to make me look bad?' and that is the feeling of someone who is childish/insecure and lying to herself.<BR/><BR/>For me, I love it when you soar away. I like what I do, but I know how special your stuff is. <BR/> <BR/>You say "the bottom line is that my character can't be on a volume control that I dial up or down based on other people's preferences and insecurities." <BR/>I agree with you entirely. But,<BR/>I think the need to grease the wheels of office life is one of the prices we pay (like stopping for red lights when no one is coming) for community living.<BR/>You are going in the right direction, I think, by saying 'It's not my problem'.<BR/>This is trite, I know, but ----- You go, girl!MARY Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13178370815712313585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-11009264301164419252007-05-30T09:32:00.000-05:002007-05-30T09:32:00.000-05:00I think most of us spend all of our lives trying t...I think most of us spend all of our lives trying to cram ourselves into boxes that don't fit. Heaven knows I did it for many years before I finally pulled the "f*kkit switch", preferring to just be who I am. What others will make of it is not my concern. <BR/><BR/>That doesn't give me permission to be negative or ugly. It just gives me permission to allow my natural way of being to exist in this world without concern for the perceptions of others, beyond simple courtesy and respect. <BR/><BR/>I was always told I was "too much", too. "Turning down the volume" wasn't an option. <BR/><BR/>Nothing is permanent. We are all always changing and growing. I believe those who need us to remain the same, predictable and never changing are more concerned with control than anything else. <BR/><BR/>I come here each day to check your blog because... simply... I like what you have to say. I like good writing. I like clear thinking. <BR/><BR/>In the dumbed-down culture of late, I guess I can see where some might find that intimidating. <BR/><BR/>On the occasions when you go a bit over my head, I think "Okay. Not today. I'll come back tomorrow."<BR/><BR/>Seriously. I wouldn't give much energy to these negative perceptions. It seems you are largely talking about workplaces. Consider the source. <BR/><BR/><BR/>Peace, <BR/><BR/>~chanithailandchanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171731740204067889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-57790221820122439942007-05-30T09:04:00.000-05:002007-05-30T09:04:00.000-05:00Well I have never thought you were too much. I hav...Well I have never thought you were too much. I have also been accused of being intimidating. I now think of this more as the other persons problem rather than mine. <BR/><BR/>i liked your discussion on "midlife crisis" as not being a crisis for the person but rather one for those around him/her. Good point. We do think of adults as rather static and not the true dynamic personalities that we really are.Gina Pintarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15089007650772242209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-72912344582675748472007-05-30T08:14:00.000-05:002007-05-30T08:14:00.000-05:00Julie, you are not too much, you are just right. ...Julie, you are not too much, you are just right. Oh jeez this sounds trite, huh? I don't mean it to. I guess i just feel like the traits that sometimes other people find "too much" or that you have to "tone down" are the ones i admire most about you (well the you i see in your blog writing). <BR/><BR/>And i agree about that whole "crisis" notion. When we want to change, alter, or examine our lives and our hearts but are over 30 everyone thinks something is wrong. That you've hit some sort of sad wall. Why can't it just be ok? Why can't we continue to grow without it being some sort of crazy freak out crisis?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, thanks for being who you are right here at this blog. Don't hide or tone down anything for us. <BR/>love, <BR/>c--Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04662448292809451387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-80601807674419397412007-05-30T08:04:00.000-05:002007-05-30T08:04:00.000-05:00Please don't "edit" yourself! You are yourself an...Please don't "edit" yourself! You are yourself and no one else--and I'm sure you've heard that pat advice many times. <BR/><BR/>I can understand what you're saying, though, and even relate to it. Sometimes I go through crises myself--as a blogger, even, but I do feel that this space is one that is mine (my blog, not yours!!) and that I'm writing for me ultimately. <BR/><BR/>It is good to articulate these thoughts--crises and all, though. I love your intensity--the fact that your words leap off the computer screen--it makes you all the more real and interesting and readable.Aliki2006https://www.blogger.com/profile/15763865834765963343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-50668351577212203892007-05-30T07:52:00.000-05:002007-05-30T07:52:00.000-05:00Julie, If certain facets of your personality are i...Julie, <BR/>If certain facets of your personality are intimidating, that's not a fault, and inhibiting them in order to fit in better may not be the only solution. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps instead you can make other aspects shine - the best example I can think of is two brilliant doctors - one with bedside manner and one without. <BR/><BR/>A gracious person, instead of being overwhelming, makes you <I>want</I> to be swept along with them.<BR/><BR/>(I don't feel I know you at all, so please don't think I'm suggesting you are not - what little I've read of you blog suggests you are indeed!) <BR/><BR/>Some people, most people, "average" people (among whom I have been disillusioned to include myself!) may not be comfortable with that loss of control, and so you have the pattern of bosses who don't want to work harder to keep up with their employee and friendships that aren't completely fulfilling.<BR/><BR/>I thank you for sharing this journey of yours. But really, who cares about the rest of us? It's yourself you have to be comfortable with, to live with for the rest of your life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-55861845124025014202007-05-30T00:49:00.000-05:002007-05-30T00:49:00.000-05:00Well you certainly gave me an interesting picture ...Well you certainly gave me an interesting picture of Harry and of yourself--is there ever an age when we are totally and completely comfortable with who we are and what we're doing? I'm well into the 30s, heading toward my 40s and still wonder the same things about myself sometimes.Scribbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03178711182424809035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13083972.post-62249069382129931092007-05-29T23:15:00.000-05:002007-05-29T23:15:00.000-05:00Okay, I just have to say it. There are some prett...Okay, I just have to say it. There are some pretty strong differences between you and I (in a good way, since individuality is a wonderful thing), but really, in reading this, there were several times that I heard myself muttering, "Are you me?"<BR/><BR/>Toning down certain aspects of myself...ah, here you have hit upon such familiar ground. The urge to placate and apologize running alongside the resentment. Yeah, I call that the battle between my inner three year old and the diplomat. <BR/><BR/>Also, although I spend so much of my life asserting the notion that we should never stop growing and learning until the day we die, I struggle when someone near and dear to me acts somewhat out of "character." In all honesty, I think that probably has more to do with my own insecurities (questioning my ability to feel the thrust of who someone is....something I almost always trust in...a defining part of who I am).<BR/><BR/>Ah, I can see my grammar is rapidly beginning to deteriorate (yes, MORE than usual), which means I may soon enter the stage of not making any sense, so I shall cut this comment off right here. But, I just wanted you to know I appreciate the fact that you wrote ALL of this post. <BR/><BR/>-t<BR/><BR/>P.S. I hope I was alert enough in the writing of this comment to issue only forehanded compliments. ;)atypicalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09332618564238120593noreply@blogger.com