Dolly Parton lost a Dolly Parton look alike contest.

Dolly Parton lost a Dolly Parton look alike contest.

I retell that story to myself every day lately. I am deep in the trenches of digging deep to find possibilities, repressed ideas & the unfulfilled dreams I squashed down into the deepest, darkest parts of myself. Every day I emerge with a new perspective. It’s actually really exciting. Who I am today might not be who I am tomorrow.

Not truly knowing myself opens me up to a future filled with infinite possibilities. Who will I be? What will I value? What will I do? I’m cool with not knowing. Just a few years ago there was NO WAY of knowing I’d be in my dream home with my dream man raising a dreamy baby boy.

Not knowing is ok. For too long I worried about making changes or expressing myself differently because I feared what the people closest to me would think. Would they judge me for my choices? Would they ridicule my efforts to try something new? Would they laugh at me behind my back and ask ‘who the hell does she think she is?’.

CUE DOLLY PARTON STORY.

That story reminds Me that NOONE truly knows you. People will see what they want to see, and it’s likely they will get it very wrong a lot of the time. Dolly lost that competition – but she was still Dolly. Their perception didn’t change her reality.

Standing strong as myself today and every day.