Words I'm Loving Lately

Technically, I am supposed to be on day five with this, but I've realized that doing it every single day isn't going to be possible. With finals week fast approaching, I need to focus on school and finding a job/internship for the summer season. So Instead of trying to do every prompt for the rest of the month, I will just respond to the prompts that I find most thought-worthy or  appealing.

What is your favorite quote (either by a person, book, etc). and tell us why you love it. 

This is so hard to choose; I could easily write a book on the combination of quotes/sayings that I adore and try to live by. But for now, I'll just give you the one that I feel like resonates most with where I'm at in my life right now: 

While I don't know how I feel about her personally, I relate to these words so much; For years, I have struggled with accepting myself exactly as I am rather than try to mold myself into who I think I'm supposed to be. It has been a battle, especially with tweets, status updates, photos, etc. and the ultimate fear of rejection in one way or another. It is a battle that I still fight, sometimes on a daily basis. 

I don't want to be perfect, or even close to it. I've been thinking a lot about what I have been through in my life and the pain that has come with it. Everybody has a little brokenness in themselves, and there are circumstances where it takes a long time to truly heal from all of it. But does mine only take root in past events, or does it also have to do with my bending over backwards trying to define myself, or at least do so in a way that looks good? 

I can say that I now know the answer to that one. 

A couple of days ago I was lamenting to one of my best friends about how I felt like I was constantly taking one step forward, then going two steps back. There's so much pressure to define yourself and find your identity in something, whether it be friends/family, God, a significant other, etc. Sometimes I have no idea what any of that means, much less how to go about doing it. 

But here's the thing: maybe it's time for me to stop trying to define myself and just be. I can't control anyone's perception of me as it is, so why try to put a label on it. 

For now, I don't see myself as completely whole, but not completely broken either. I'm simply...human. 

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