The Great Pretender

This is my first post. I'm a little nervous because it means that I'll be expressing my true thoughts and feelings. That's new for me because for most of my life, I've been a pretender.

When I say pretender, I don't mean being fake. As a pretender, I've been who I thought others wanted me to be. I've said what I thought they wanted to hear, I did things I thought they wanted to do, and I took on their thoughts as if they were my own.

I didn't realize that I could be who I wanted to be (myself), say what I wanted to say, do the things that I wanted to do, and have (and express) my own thoughts. It took a lot of bumps and bruises for me to realize that the only person I needed to be was the one I saw in the mirror and felt in my soul. Funny how life will teach you some things if you're willing to learn.