who are you?

we're born into this world with a label slapped upon us.
we're wrapped in a blanket and given to our mother or whoever else is taking care of us. we're sent home with a birth certificate.
we have a name. a weight. a length. we are a girl. a boy. christian. jewish. muslim. atheist. red haired. brown haired. blonde haired. blue eyes. numbers. letters. numbers. letters. we cry and hold on to the one who holds us.

as we get older we start to question everything around us.
we're constantly being fed different ways to be - ways to live - how to feel. what to believe. how to behave.

most of these ideas conflict.

we grow up. we go to school. we get more certificates. awards. diplomas. traffic citations. marriage licenses. online statuses. phone numbers. and eventually a death certificate.

we accumulate all of these pieces of paper that really have nothing to do with who we are.

in this world that is constantly trying to tell us who we are, it's no wonder so many people lose sight of the knowledge that they are innately unique. that there isn't a right or a wrong answer. that it's okay to be different.
no one is ever one thing or the other. you can be many things all at the same time.

a label is just a man made form of communication to understand a behaviour. human beings are full of contradictions. to be yourself and accept who you are no matter what They try to tell you probably the most liberating thing you can ever do.

you don't need a certificate for that -- you just know.

how do you measure your worth?

worth has NOTHING to do with the size of your waist, your bra, your bank account, your house, your car, your jeans or your penis.

worth has NOTHING to do with how many college degrees you have, whether you can or cannot conceive, if you can play an instrument, create beautiful photographs or make a difference in someone else's' life.

true worth doesn't come from anything that you can physically see or do
it cannot be compared to anyone or anything.
it's pure.
it's authentic.
it's you, naked and honest, without mirrors or measurements, feeling the energy of life
coursing through your soul.
real worth cannot be measured.
it just is and no one can take it away once you recognize the value of your own genuine uniqueness.
without measurements, how far will you really go in the ways that really matter to YOU? (not others).

do not apologize.

do not let anyone tell you it is wrong to feel. do not apologize for being alive. do not let anyone tell you you are too sensitive, too emotional or too passionate. do not become a contortionist for the benefit of those who do not see who you are underneath. not everyone deserves your flexibility or compromise. listen to yourself. you know who sees you and who does not.
when you're caught up in the cloud of what is, what was, and where you fit into it all, just allow yourself to fucking BE ... and move through. the smoke you leave in your absence will eventually disappear and time will erase what never was.
eventually you won't care because you've replaced false guilt with power.

believe in yourself.

vulnerable.

let go and live.

when you are standing in the center of yourself the world looks very clear. every experience leads you to where you are supposed to be.

deconstruction.

rip off your pretenses and allow what is to be.

give thanks.

create.

pretend.

i might be in pain sometimes, but at least i am not pretending.
my eyes are never closed even when i'm sleeping.

you can peel off the plastic and find something completely different underneath.
prefer to walk through life without a disguise.