Life like Clay....

The molding of a life, not a map or a plan. Life, really has no map that we can follow. We can hope and work but so much is guided by the people we become because of things that happened to us long before we were in control; the people we encounter, the experiences we have, the traumas we endure. Each marks us, molds us, adds this detail or that. Each little bit of a personality becoming stronger or weaker, each character trait developing based on our interactions with others, either selfish or selfless. We never really recognize this until forced to, sometimes slapped in the face with it. Some unexpected event or dramatic conversation acts as a wake-up call. Until then, we never really know ourselves. We just act as the person we think we should be, or hope to be, always wondering why we are never truly filled up inside. The recognition that we never really accepted ourselves makes it clearer why others, maybe, don't accept us either. Every flaw magnified, each mistake enlarged, dramatized. Understanding that we don't develop who we are, but that other people do, is like the death of a loved one. Deny, accept, mourn, heal. Then be who we are meant to be, love ourselves, be happy, enjoy life. Screw up sometimes and don't feel too bad. From this day forward, we are who we want to be.