Recently, I’ve felt and understood a joy that permeates my body and sustains me. This quote describes one seemingly simple, but loaded reason for my sense of fulfillment:
“It is the chiefest point of happiness that a [woman] is willing to be what [she] is.”
- Desiderius Erasmus
Beyond a willingness to be myself, there’s joy in I feeling like I can be accepted for being myself. When I am being what some might considered flawed—pissed off, childlike, or wanting to make non-PC humorous observations—I know there is someone around me who can understand me, laugh with me, or know that my funk will pass.
Both staying and leaving have aided in my development and acceptance of my imperfect self. I love traveling challengingly and deeply. I seek out strength gained through having to re-adapt… the destruction of self and the fortified rebuilding. While traveling has helped me define myself, remaining in one place has helped me solidify myself.
It’s given me the opportunity to reveal myself slowly through both personal and artistic interactions and find that there are people out there who accept quirks and flaws and whole people. Like any physical trip I’ve taken, this inner journey has been less scary and more beautiful than I imagined it would be before it began.
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