Not My English Class: Who am I?

photo by David Guglielmo

Daughter has a blog.

It's privately hosted on a site for educators, so I know she's safe.

Since I know she wants to one day run a book blog, this school exercise is like a gateway blog for her. It's a chance for her to take risks (safely), experiment with content (in a controlled environment), and become comfortable with blogging as a medium. 

One day, she'll enter the web of the world and do amazing things. But for now, only classmates can enjoy her musings.

For their first blog assignment, the class had to fill out this organizer and pull from it ideas for composing Who Am I? post.

I think this is an interesting exercise, especially since it's my fortieth birthday! This milestone and this assignment converging in my life right now must be my old friend serendipity at work.

What better time could there be to stop and reevaluate my identity?

Answer: Any other time, really. Identity is slippery and tough to pin down and let's be honest, self-evaluation is hard.

Even if it is painful, it's important to never become complacent, but to always be reflecting, evaluating, and bettering oneself.

So, who am I now that I'm forty?

I am

I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, and friend. 

I believe in being kind. I believe that words are powerful and stories are magical. I believe in hope.

I am a coffee addict. I am not a morning person (sorry, dearest Hubster). I will not talk to anyone in the morning unless I have had coffee. This is really for everyone's benefit. If we do communicate, expect me to be brief (a grunt before coffee totally means I love you, too). If you are loud in the morning, I may have to have you removed from the premises.

I am a reader. Books are my happy place. I collect books like art, which means that I sometimes have multiple copies of a title because there are multiple covers that I love (I'm looking at you, Rainbow Rowell). I hate movie covers on books. I mean I seriously, completely, and totally hate movie covers.

I am a writer. I love tinkering with words, building places from the ground up, and creating quirky and beautifully flawed characters that readers can't help but fall in love with. I whine about revising, but it makes my stories stronger (and me, too). I adore meeting and connecting with readers.

I live with depression in the winter. It is a part of me, but does not define me. It is sometimes hard to connect with those I love when I'm buried under so many layers of sadness. I am grateful that my family and friends understand what depression is. My children and husband are amazing. 

I talk about mental health because diseases need to be treated not shamed.

Speaking of disease, I want to see a cure for cancer.

I love the words shenanigans and cacophony. 

Unicorns rule.

And I don't need to write a song because this one already exists.

I am a Hufflepuff. Always.

My favorite thing about myself is that I am a work in progress. 

Ready for your next #NotMyEnglishClass assignment? Use the organizer above to help get you started. Then tell me a few things about yourselves. 

Who are YOU?