Nobody-but-yourself...

To be nobody-but-yourself --
in a world which is doing its best,
night and day, to make you everybody else --
means to fight the hardest battle
which any human being can fight;
and never stop fighting.
~E.E.Cummings

I found this quote on a friend's facebook page. I'd always loved the poetry of E.E. Cummings, but I hadn't read any in a long, long time. This quote spoke to me tonight. I've been thinking about how hard it can be, just to be.

In my early years, I tried to fit the mold that was expected of me. Most of the time failing miserably, but I kept on trying. I set my dreams aside in deference to others. I failed to be my own advocate. I failed to follow my heart.

It took time, and life experience, to allow myself the freedom of being me. It didn't happen all at once. The walls I built, according to others specifications, took time to remodel. Some of them had to be torn completely down and started again at the foundation.

I am more "me" today than I have ever been. I'm more at peace, less affected by others low opinions. Maybe this is the gift that comes with age. Maybe I couldn't have pursued certain dreams at any other moment in my life. All I do know is that I am content. I see the good and the bad. I still experience tough days, but I am full of joy. I appreciate each day I have on this earth.