October 2022

October Thought of the Month

"Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else."

~ Judy Garland

In an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy tells her friend Willow that Halloween is the one day when you can be whoever you aren't. But that isn't exactly true. Every day of our lives we play roles to fit in, wearing a different mask for each situation. We are taught from childhood to be what people expect us to be, in some cases demand that we be.

The problem with that is when you pretend to be someone you aren't long enough, you forget how to be who you really are. You spend your life struggling to be someone else instead of you who should have been.

Don't discard the masks you need in life, they are part of the way we adapt to survive. But when you're home, when you are in one of your safe places, set all the masks aside and focus on nurturing your true self. Each of us in this world is here for a reason. There is purpose behind the dreams and hopes we carry within us. Don't let others' expectations cripple yours. Become who you were born to be, and when the time is right, show your true face to the world that has been waiting to meet you.