Who am I?

It's been said that one of the most important and one of the most difficult questions is, "Who am I?"

Until age 35 or so, I didn't fully perceive that I had very little idea who I was. I knew what I believed, and I knew the roles and labels that applied to me (to the best of my understanding at the time), but I didn't really have a clue who I was. That changed very quickly.

When I was 35, I got divorced. Once I was living on my own, I came to the realization that I'd never really been on my own before, had never lived life wholly on my own terms, and didn't really know who I was when I wasn't existing in relation to someone else. I didn't know what made me happy. I didn't know what I wanted...but that's another of the big questions and best saved for another post.

It was scary when I realized that I was one of the people I knew the least.

For most of my life, I've been an activist. (There is a point to this paragraph, I promise. :)) When I was four--no joke--I remember riding in the back of my Granddad's car and exclaiming angrily about a smokestack belching black smoke into the sky. I was infuriated that they were polluting. At a very young age, I unwittingly became an anti-bullying advocate. Through the years, I've embraced more causes. I started fighting for racial equality, religious tolerance, gender equality, equal access and treatment for people with disabilities, and equality for the (at the time) LGB community. I started fighting against abuse, rape, and sexual assault. I've championed other causes as well.

I care passionately about these causes, but what I didn't realize until recently is that I have a personal connection with most of them.

I've learned much about myself in the past few years. I'd started writing this post with the intention of going into more detail about what I've learned, but there's far too much for one post. So, in addition to the type of content I've included in my blog thus far, I'm going to start including some content regarding my personal journey, starting when I was quite young. I will be no-holds-barred honest. I'll let you decide if that's a pro or a con. :)