What do you most want people to know about you? What feels like the most important aspects of who you are as a person? If someone were to describe you, what are some of the identifiers that you’d most want noted? For me, I’d want people to know that I was a good son. Not always, but mostly, and definitely when it counted. When my mother fell ill, I did my best to take care of her.
I was a good brother too. Sibling spats aside, I loved my younger brother with my whole heart. I’d want people to know that I love them.
People. I love people. Even if I have never met you, I love you.
I have a huge place in my heart for us human beings and how we continuously show up for each other. I get endless joy and hope from witnessing that in us. I love music.
So much. My life is rich and full of music. It is a constant companion.
And books. I want people to know how important books and literature are to me. I am grateful for all the hard times I have navigated – the failures, even the trauma.
I regularly reflect on how I wouldn’t change a single thing, as it is the culmination of all of “that,” that has brought me to this. It has shaped and informed the person that I am. For the first time in my life, I fully appreciate who that person has become.
That’s how I see myself. It’s how people who have taken the time to get to know me, also see me. There are other things about me.
It’s OK if you know those, too. But they’re not the most important things or even the most inte.