The roles we play

Have you ever thought much about how who we are is dependent on who we're with? I am a wife, a stepmother, a daughter, a sister. I am a co-worker and a team leader. I am a niece, an aunt, a granddaughter, a cousin, and a friend. And I can be most of these things in one day. And usually I can glide seamlessly between and among them without a thought. But then there are those rare days when it's hard to just be Me.

So what does this mean? Who sees the "true me"? Well that's the beauty of this. Everyone does because I'm multi-faceted and have different sides to my personality. Just because I get giggly with my friends and I talk about work and the dissertation with my family doesn't mean that either of those things are false. It's what makes me (and you) a complex individual capable of different depths, ideas, and characteristics.

Let's add more complexity to this. Your friends could think your great, your family can love you, but your coworkers could think that you need to get your head out of your ass. How is that possible? If you're great to some, can't you be great to all? Well no, you can't. And maybe that's a good thing. It keeps us honest and always striving for better.

For those of you who get overwhelmed with the different roles you play, remember this. You are great one way or another.

My answer is still "yes"

Tomorrow is a special day in the Luopa household. Yesterday couples the world over (or those made up of high school students anyway) celebrated the international day of love while we treated it like any other day. But tomorrow marks the 8 year anniversary of the day Adam proposed to me. Back on Valentine's Day 2002, Adam went out shopping and came home with the kissing bears from Hallmark (remember those?). I loved them! But apparently he had a little something else up his sleeve. At this point we had been friends for 8 months and officially dating for 3 weeks. Crazy, I know. Two days later, in the mosh pit of a Creed concert, Adam took out the ring during one of my favorite songs. I swooned and said yes. There's a lot more to this story (about how valiantly Adam tried to get on stage in order to propose) but he should tell that story.

Personally, I like the way Sean (Adam's brother) tells it. Sure, we had only been dating 3 weeks officially, but we dated for a long time before that...we just didn't kiss. :)

So on February 16, 2010 I will be enjoying time with my main man. 8 years later, my answer is still yes.

Happy and Hopeful

What makes you happy and hopeful? In the past 4 or 5 weeks, I've rediscovered some of the things that make me happy and hopeful and found some new things to add to the list. In the doldrums of winter it's sometimes hard to see the beauty around us but I've had some incredible experiences since the new year that remind me that they're still out there to see.

One snowy morning I was outside with my dogs watching the snowflakes fall. It was one of those snowfalls where it sticks to the trees and seems to just float from the sky. I closed my eyes, looked up, and felt the snowflakes stick to my eyelashes. It was incredibly peaceful.

While I could write a whole blog (and nearly did) around all of the reasons it sucks to be an adult. But instead of focusing on the negatives, I want to celebrate the little "wins." Sundays are spent gearing up for the coming week. Grocery shopping, laundry, email catch-up (unfortunate but true), and cuddle time. It's a great way to recenter ones self before jumping back into things Monday morning.

Or maybe they're more simplistic:
Realizing that you're not in it alone.
Realizing that you can fight with your husband and it's no big deal...even when you're still a little miffed. :)
Realizing that there's opportunity around every corner...even when you start to think that all opportunities have passed you by.

Or perhaps the best yet...
Realizing that although you haven't seen your friends for ages, that they're still your friends. And you know that when you finally all have time to get together again, you'll be able to pick up where you left off.

Miss you all and hope you find something(s) to be happy and hopeful about!