What's In The Bag

Did you ever have to really think about who you are?  Really looking inward and saying something more than my favorite color is blue. Are you what you do? or are you defined by life experiences?  Are we the sum of our thoughts and actions?  How do you properly define yourself in 2-5 minutes to a room full of people that don't know you?  This is the task that I have been given.  A 2-5 minute speech introducing myself using 5 objects that best describe me.

Hi, my name is Kaloni Rose.  Kaloni is Hawaiian for "something of heavenly beauty" or "beautiful".  So essentially I am a "heavenly rose"!  Before you ask, you should know that I am not Hawaiian.  My heritage actually traces back to Denmark.  I actually got my name from Gilligan's Island.  There was a girl that rode in on a log to the island and her name was Kalani.  My mom liked it, looked up what it meant, liked it even more and that became my name.

The first thing that I would use to describe myself would be a butterfly.  Butterflies symbolize change to me.  They change from ugly and crawling to beautiful, colorful, and flying.  Butterflies are a hope and a reminder to me that all things are made beautiful in their own time and that life is a process.  We are continually changing and evolving in the way we think and act based on our beliefs and experiences.  I feel like as long as I continue to be teachable by choosing to learn from both the good and bad experiences in life that I will continue to become a better person.

 Next up is running shoes.  I love to run.  I have been running since I was a kid.  I have always been active (except for those few years after my last baby).  Running is more than exercise for me, it is therapeutic.  Running clears my head of all the thoughts that seem to get stuck there.  Running helps me to relax with the added benefit of keeping me healthy and fit.

Third item out of the bag is a picture of my family.  I am a mom and a wife.  I take my job seriously and try my best to take care of my family.  I try to teach my kids how to be capable adults one day, I try to balance giving them freedom to make their own decisions with keeping them safe from stupidness.  I try to show them that it is possible to have fun and be responsible at the same time.  I am not Susie Home-maker (just ask my husband), but my home is a home. A place to be comfortable and accepted, a place for love and family.

Number four is a tattoo.  I have 10 of them so far.  Though I don't really think that they really define me as a person.  I like them and I like to use them to tell my story (when I have the money).  I have several butterflies.  The word grace and the symbol for 'everlasting love and friendship' is on my wrist.  There is a mostly black heart on my other wrist that is a Song of Solomon 1:5 reference.  I also have roses, a stargazer lily, ants, a wedding ring, a sparrow and a t-rex.

Last but certainly not least is a unicorn.  Steve started calling me a unicorn while we were dating.  I am like the unicorn being the rare and mysterious creature that it is.  I do not act or react the (stereotypical) way he expects me to. I am unique and awesome. A few examples: I like looking good, but I don't stress about it; I know that I am beautiful (inside and out).  I am real all the time (even if that's weird); I don't pretend to be something that I am not to gain approval.  I figure it's better you love me or hate me for the real me.  I didn't want a wedding ceremony and I didn't care about a ring.  Now he likes to say that even though I am a unicorn, I am still a female unicorn, because every now and then I fit into a female stereotype.  Like, I ask him how I look in an outfit (he says I look great like always) then I change anyway.

Over the years, I have become a confident person.  I know my strengths and my weaknesses.  I try to live my life out of a place of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Some days I succeed and some days I fail, but everyday is part of the journey and I try to remember to enjoy it.

You are you and that is true, there's no one in the world who's you-er than you

-Dr. Seuss-