I used to tell people I am a figment of everyone's imaginations. The more people I "met" the more I spread. My reasoning was that everyone's collective imaginations was strong enough to create a mass hallucination (the mind, after all, is quite a powerful thing). There was also the fact that I don't usually go to new places alone; thus, to meet me, anyone would have to be introduced to me to accept the hallucination as real.
It was a bit complicated, and came about because I never knew what to say when people asked, "Tell us something interesting about yourself." So that's what I started saying.
Now, on the other hand, I can think of a few interesting bits about myself. Here they are in bullets (because I can):
- I was born and raised in Arizona, but none of my siblings were born here.
- I'm the youngest of six.
- My parents have been divorced for nearly 10 years.
- I went on a mission for my church at 19. I served in the Nevada Reno mission, which takes up pretty much the entirety of the northern half of Nevada. (This is something that will probably crop up in later posts, so stay tuned!) I came home six weeks early (though that's hardly early by mission standards, it still felt early) due to illness.
- I had my gallbladder removed at the tender age of 22. This was the principal reason I came home early, and it took eight months to get the diagnosis. By that time, my gallbladder was only functioning at about 13%, and they usually take them out at 30%.
- I've been sick most of my life due to allergies and a fairly poor immune system. The last few years have been especially bad because of my gallbladder, which inflamed my system and gave me IBS. I can no longer breakdown food super well, and I had lost a ton of weight when I got home from my mission.
- Pregnancy saved my weight. My body received strength and the hormones helped my stomach. Because of that, I'm actually at a pretty healthy weight again, which is great.
- Stephen and I met in high school; he fell in love with me then, but I didn't know I loved him until I came home from my mission. Our relationship progressed pretty quickly from there. (Definitely going to have more on that later. I think our love is a fun story, and I'm dying to share it.)
- We have two sons, although one of them is technically not mine. Even though our oldest son isn't mine, I still consider him mine, and the pain of having to adopt him out is just as real as if I'd lost my own child. (I'll probably go into that more, too, but I have to be careful not to share too much in respect of his adoptive parents, who have asked that we not be too public about him. I'll probably just go into my feelings about it, when I do talk about it.)
- Our younger boy is a delight and joy, and my buddy, and I will talk about him shamelessly.
- I am a DEVOUT member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My faith definitely contributes to who I am, and I will speak of it freely. It shapes my views of the world and teaches me how to handle different people and situations. I won't apologize for it, so if it is a problem, I recommend something else to read.
There's probably a lot more that can be said; I think the best way to know who I am would be to just keep getting to know me. Which is something that is true for everyone.
As of right now, I am an at-home mom who's trying to regain her health and finish her Bachelor's degree in English. I plan on taking courses online so I can be home for my boy and so as to be more flexible around my husband's schedule. Honestly, I'm pretty content with that. The best career I can think of is being a wife and mother. Everything else is secondary. What I really long for is my health back, so that I can do more things. I'm an introvert and a homebody, but I have to find ways to spend my energy (when I have it) or I get restless. That's my biggest challenge. My body is weak, and sometimes my brain is too, but my spirit loves work, creativity, and things that make me grow. Sitting at home, barely being able to take care of my son some days, has been a huge trial of patience and faith.
Happily, I have found someone who thinks she can get my gut health back up, and I've started exercising again (note: it sucks because I've become so weak). It is my hope that within the next couple of months I can really get my health and energy back. You don't know how much you take just being able to move for granted until you can't move anymore. I try not to let my illness define me, but sometimes it feels like that's all there is. Stephen and Isaac keep me out of myself. They're the biggest blessings of my life.
I'm working on getting back into creative spheres. I don't like to showcase myself, but Steve says I should go out of my way more, so I'm getting back into art, writing, and the other things I love to do that I've been too sick to do since I got home three years ago. That's really nice. As one of my friends said just today, it is important to have creative outlets, especially as an at-home mom. You have to do things to recharge. So maybe some of that will end up on here. We'll see.
Anyhow, I think that's about all I've got for myself right now. I'm sure more things will come up as I go along.
Cheers~
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