Self-Portrait Challenge: Introduce Yourself, final installment

The Self-Portrait Challenge for May was Introduce Yourself.

This is part of who I am:
A mother to two lovely young women who are creative, kind, caring, generous, fun-l0ving, talented, resilient, sensitive................I could go on and on, but these are the things I most admire in them. You can see that they radiate these qualities, can't you?

I am a grandma to a sweet and precious, amazingly brilliant three-year old who makes gifts to me of his boogers on occasion (a gift that only a grandma could truly appreciate!).

I am a daughter to two wonderful people who always did their best to keep me safe, to love me, and who put their children's needs before their own. I am the firstborn. My brother, less than two years younger, is someone I rarely see (although he lives but an hour away!). Our relationship is not particularly close or distant.......there is just little relationship there. My sister, nine years younger, is my best friend and I am hers. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. We see each other when we can, and we share a lot of adventures together.

I am a person who loves to be in nature..........camping, hiking, spending a weekend in a cabin in the woods, being near water. I like to explore new places, and return to old and familiar places.

Although I was totally oblivious to the 60's, had no clue what Woodstock was until a decade later, people often get the notion that I was a hippie. Is it my Birkenstocks? Is it my casual approach to life? What vibes do I give out that say, "I grind my own organic wheat to bake my own bread, churn fresh butter, and smoke pot on a daily basis!"??????? None of these things are true! I would enjoy having the time to grind wheat, bake bread and churn butter. But I buy my (sometimes) organic whole wheat bread at the grocery store. And the last thing I smoked was a Kool 100 back in 1994.

Things that excite me and make me feel alive are: hearing the song-like sound of foreign languages and unfamiliar accents in places like Pike Place Market. Walking in a crowd of people whose ethnicity and culture are far different from mine. Playing with my grandson. Waking up to the smell of the woods and the sounds of water and unseen creatures rustling through the trees. Seeing a hillside of dry grass magically turn to gold in the rising sun. Being dropped off at an airport terminal as I am heading out on a new adventure.

I am a therapist working with troubled people.........mostly children and their families. While I know that I can't fix what's wrong, I know that for the most part I have a positive impact. Sometimes I am the only adult who gives undivided attention to a child. Sometimes I am the only adult who ever plays with a child. Sometimes I am the only adult in a child's life who doesn't judge and criticize. Sometimes I am filled with anger........rage.......over the things people do to each other. There are times that I feel that I just can't hear anymore pain. But I take care of myself. I refill my own container with new life and energy as I make are, walk my dog, and connect with people whose lives aren't filled with pain. Then I can return with a container that will hold more of what others need to be freed from, even if just for a little while.

I AM............all these things and more.

{SPC}