Who are you?

Who are you? When you think back to that kid called You in kindergarten, do you see her growing up as you did? Did she follow an expected path to Now, or did she shoot off in a different direction and land somewhere totally unexpected? My childhood and young adult friends may be surprised to see me now, leading a yoga class, practicing handstands and balancing in arm poses. I wasn’t exactly the most physical kid growing up (understatement of the year). It made me happy to discover this side of myself, and although it took some poking and prodding, some deep belly breaths and the confidence born only through experience, I now say, “I’m a yoga teacher” and truly believe it!

My brother landed smack dab at the end of a long line of sisters, and I’m sure he has both cursed fate, and wondered at it. When we were young he used to say he was going to have a family of football players; he ended up with three beautiful daughters. When people told him how lucky he was to have so many nurturing siblings, he’d growl about the trials of having so many women telling him what to do. Now he’s a teacher and coach and husband and father and the skills he developed through dealing with his five bossy sisters have served him well. And he really “gets” the female brain (though he still thinks we’re crazy and weird).

Picture yourself as a kid. Then follow that kid through life, with all the twists and turns, detours and backtracking, leaping and bounding, tripping and starting over. Are you on a roller coaster or a paved road? Probably stretches of both; and who knows what lies ahead? Whatever it is, it’s sure to be unexpected, exciting, nerve-wracking, and good. Lessons learned, yadda yadda. You have to smile.