I Am...

Have you ever stopped and thought about what you are?

What on earth am I talking about? How dare I refer to you as a thing? 

Well, not what you are, but who you are. Who do you represent? What makes your blood flow and boil? What are your values? What personas and personalities do you encompass? Which relationships are the most important in your life?

What varying roles combine to make you the person that you are?

Well the other day while I was driving my 60km route to work, and while I was enjoying my alone time spending just a few precious moments reflecting on life, I started thinking about how I would describe myself to someone.

So here goes;

I am a super proud wife; while I'm only in my sixth week of marriage I am enjoying the challenges and daily celebrations of the little things that both my husband and myself are enduring and achieving both on small and big levels. I am often the person who sees the best and worst in my husband, and can therefore be his counsellor, therapist, chef, cleaner, lover, counsellor, conspirer, partner in crime, best friend, play mate and at times, his brick wall, who helps to build the life we both want and deserve.

I am a daughter; we made the decision to move back to our small country town where we grew up, and luckily, my mum and dad only live 2 streets away. While we share the same postcode, sometimes our lives can still be miles apart with work, sport and socialising coming between quality family time, but I try to be a daughter that would make my parents proud.

I am a sister; my sister and I haven't always been close, but we've definitely always had each others backs. I am learning that my sister needs as much love, respect and quality time as my friends, and I am enjoying living closer to her and hanging out more.

I am an aunty; and a super proud one at that! I have so much love for my niece that when I think about her I get a rush of love through my body and I just want to squeeze her and eat her cute little cheeks up!!!

I am a blog writer; I have always loved the power of words, and now I have found an avenue that I can express myself in, honestly, truthfully and wholely, exposing my true thoughts and feelings, and hopefully along the way, helping others in the process.

I am a travel agent; making peoples dreams come true! I truly love this role, as it's special being able to help people tick things off of their bucket lists, opening people's eyes to the experiences on offer around the world, and sending people away on unforgettable journeys.

I am a good friend; I love my friends whole heartidly and truly value their love, support and guidance in life. I can rant to my friends, let my hair down around them, take my bras off, chuck my tracky dacks on or get dolled up and go out for a night on the town, and feel totally content and happy. While our decision to move home has meant creating a great physical divide between some of my very best friends, I am grateful for true friendships, Skype, Facebook and phones to keep us in the loop with each others lives.

I am a counsellor; well, not a certified counsellor, but let's face it, we all have a little bit of a counsellor in ourselves. I'd like to think that I am someone who isn't judgemental, and who appreciates honesty above all other values, so when people open up to me, I leave my judgements behind, and try to listen to what they are truly saying.

I am a mental health advocate; again, I'm not officially an ambassador with Beyond Blue or anything, but my passion in life, my motivation and my drive is to break down the stigmas around mental health, so we can talk about it, seek help, and basically not even blink an eye at it like we do a common cold.

I am an organiser; while I have just finished planning our wedding day, I am looking at taking on another role in my local community with key players in mental health to fundraise, support, educate and assist the local community in mental health awareness.

I am a coach; well I was a coach last netball season to a group of 11 gorgeous girls who rocked my socks and made me laugh every single training and game day. Being able to share your skills and experience with people younger then you is one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done.

I am a netball player; not some professional famous sports star, but I love netball - it is the one sport that gets me motivated for exercise. Some times I'm not sure if it's the game or the socialising that keeps me coming back year after year, because I sure love the teas and ciders back at the clubrooms, but whatever it is, the sense of community and fun is amazing.

I guess there's so many other 'hats that I wear' in my life, and of course, these are constantly changing as the calendar years flip over.

It's just interesting to take a step back to see what you are, what you do, and where you choose to invest your time, energy and love.

I am a happy, healthy, fun loving, organise freak, who is married, works full time in a job I find both fulfilling and challenging, I invest time in my relationships, and in ventures close to my heart like mental health awareness and empowering the youth and society with new skills and knewledge.

Perhaps that's me in a nutshell.

What are you?

Look after yourself and those around you,

Kirsty xxxxx