Thank You, Old Wise One, Dr. Seuss

Watchmen may possibly be one of the worst movies on the planet. And I mean worse than Star Wars kind of bad. And if you know me, you know that I'd almost rather have my eyes gouged out than have to watch Star Wars. However, a line of Watchmen has stuck with me and has been swirling around in my brain since I suffered the unfortunate event of watching it Friday night. "I'm not the one still hiding behind a mask." "No. You're hiding in plain sight." And it got me thinking.

Most of the time, I am a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of gal. But other times, I wear one - a mask. I know I do. And it comes out in various ways, and in different forms. Like, my painted toe nails. I do not care about my toe nails anymore. If they are painted then it's because I want them painted, so yay, and if not, who cares? But I went to a gathering on Saturday and felt like I had to paint my toenails just in case I took my socks off. Before having kids, I had time to worry about my toe nails and care about that kind of thing. And I guess that's normal. But it's also normal to NOT worry about that kind of thing after having kids. Now I worry about more important things in my life. And I don't have the time or energy to care about my feet, or whether or not my hair is styled in something other than a pony tail, or if I have on make up, or the type of clothing I wear. That's the real me. But sometimes I put on the mask that says, "I care about my appearance, and that's important to me." And it's really not. I do care about how my husband looks and how my kids are put together because they are the most important things in the world to me. It's my job and privilege to take care of them, and I take pride in that. And I do enjoy getting dressed up and made up when I want to, not because I feel like it's a requirement to fit in.

I am at an age now, where I really shouldn't care what other people think of me. I know what's important to me and to my family. My husband and kids are my number one priority in this world. And I DON'T CARE if someone has a problem with this. I no longer have the luxury to put myself first or to think only of me. I live in the deep end of the pool now. I am abundantly blessed in life. I get to play every...single...day with my kids. I get to watch my husband play with our kids every...single...day. I love my life, and I love where we are in life, and I love hanging out with our friends and family who understand this, our friends and family who understand ME. So, buh-bye masks. I'm glad that I've grown enough and matured enough to be comfortable with who I am. I think Dr. Seuss said it best - "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."