5 Things That I Absolutely Love About Myself, Without A Doubt.

If I were asked to name five things that I absolutely love about myself, without a doubt, I would struggle quite a bit, as I am sure many others would. We tend to see the good and the best in people around us. Yet, we most often tend to be blind to our own good qualities. We easily see that we may be overweight, or that we have thin hair or short hair, or that we have freckles, or that we have not completed college and gotten that degree that we started out to work on several years ago, or that we are in a job that we are not in love with, or maybe that we are in a relationship that only benefits one partner. Regardless, we should do better by ourselves and realize the qualities that we each possess that make us great. And now, I will attempt to embark on such a task.
One- compassion. I do love that I possess a true sense of compassion for others. I once was told by my director when I worked as an Emergency Medical Technician that I would make a great paramedic one day because I had something that many of his current paramedics in the county lacked- compassion and a true love for others. Even though I do not work in public safety any longer, I still keep those words with me. It really meant a lot to me then, and it means a lot to me now that someone saw me in that respect. Often times, I believe that it goes a step beyond mere compassion and that I have been granted both the blessing and the curse of being an Empath. Everything I have ever read about Empaths sounds exactly word for word like I am reading something written specifically for me. I suppose I don’t hate being an Empath, but there are times when I wish I could be a little tougher.
Two- tenacity. I do not give up on things easily. Even in relationships, although I know in my head and my heart that the relationship is toxic for me or the relationship has reached its ending point, I have a hard time walking away. For some reason, I feel like a failure when things end, whether it be relationships or jobs, so I tend to persist in them, despite my need for closure and the limiting it puts on my self-growth.
Three- simplicity. I have never been a materialistic person, and do not foresee that changing anytime in my future. I love the simplicity of life. I enjoy quite time by the lake, a hike in the woods, and sitting on the shore listening to nothing more than the sound of the waves crashing against the sand and the occasional call of the Gull. At the risk of being cliché, life if made up of all the small moments that fill in the dash between the two dates on our death stones. But, that is true. It is truly the simple things like holding hands under the night sky bursting with fireworks, the laughter of a child, or the smell of fresh cut grass that make life worth living
Four- good listener. It seems that for most of my life, I have had family, friends, and coworkers alike come to me to talk about their problems. I went into college to get my degree in Human Services and learned a lot about active listening. But, the funny thing is, I think in some way I have always engaged in active listening, long before I even knew what it was. I was always that friend that people went to when they wanted to say, “don’t tell anyone.” I have long since been out of school and lost touch with almost one-hundred percent of my former classmates, yet, I still today hold secrets that were told to me in the strictest of confidence within the halls of my high school, that I have not dared to share with another soul. I have always had the tendency to be very accepting of other, and have never considered myself, nor have been considered by others as a judgmental person. Although, I think as I get older, I am losing that sweet innocent acceptance of everyone, and do notice a hint of cynicism showing its ugly head on the occasion.
Five- Pisces. It may seem a bit crazy or childish, but I truly love being a Pisces. They say that Pisces are so different because they have characteristics of all the other eleven Zodiac signs. I do believe that. A true Pisces can be quite a challenge, it is like riding a roller coaster, at times. We can be hot one minute, then cold the next. Yet, Pisces, are the dreamers and the believers. We see the good in people and we would move mountains to help others see the good in themselves. Pisces are creative and artistic. I would never say that I was good at anything but being far from perfect does not limit my attempt. I love to paint, and I love to sing. While I cannot do either of those well, I still continue to do them. That is why I love being a Pisces, it is kind of like that Steve Jobs quote- “Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”