The Bean Teepees & Me, 2008
Image: Courtesy of Knowledge Man
I used to be somebody
But now I am somebody else
I used to be somebody
But now I am somebody else
Who I'll be tomorrow
Is anybody's guess
These were the first lines sung by the main character in a movie I saw recently. I cannot stop singing them and this doesn't surprise me.
In short, I am the opposite of the person who had a childhood dream of becoming a _____ and then became that very _____. No, I'm what some might call a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type. I've been a lot of things. I'm never quite sure if I'll reach a certain stage where I will find my place in this world or if this is my place in the world.
When I was in graduate school I heard two stand-out pieces of advice that have been helpful to me when addressing this conundrum.
The first was Don't worry about finding your voice. You can't be anyone but yourself. I was assured that if I was true to myself my voice would come through loud and clear in my work.
The second Life's a lot longer than you think it's going to be. Followed by something about not needing to hurry or push too hard too fast, there being more than enough time to figure it all out.
Both of these philosophies were close to opposite of what I'd heard most of my life. I'd always heard that I should work hard to find my voice and that life was short.
I saw this new advice as Stop and listen, then go. This was something I could wrap my arms around. This suited me.
Still I can't help but wonder, what's next?
Are you who you always hoped you would become?
...and a fun little something else that Chris sent me
