Remembering . That . I . Am . Me

We are a family that loves books. We have a lot of books.

I can easily walk past a clothing store but should there be a bookstore along my path - I almost cannot help myself. I don’t think though that it is such a bad vice.

Books not only hold their own messages but I think that they hold a piece of our histories as well.

Picking up any one of my books and I am immediately transported. I remember who gave it to me, or where I bought it, what was happening in my life at the time, what relationship I was in (if any) as well as what my mental and emotional state was at the time. For these reasons many books are like old friends, they are a part of me as I am a part of them.

One such book that I have had (for three decades) sitting on my shelf in various households is Self Esteem by Virginia Satir. (Mine is published by Celestial Arts, California, 1975.)

It was given to me by Nina - a truly beautiful soul who has become one of the most important and dearest people that I have been blessed to have in my life. 

I know that my younger self appreciated the words at the time but it has been a very long time since I have re-read the words. It is both funny and warming that now, even though I am older in years, Virginia Satir’s words are comforting and encouraging as I try to find my way in what is a new world and experience for me.

And how blessed am I to have such a beautiful inscription from my dear friend:

We BELIEVE in you.

Everybody needs the love and support of a friend like Nina.

I Am Me

by Virginia Satir

I

am

me

In all

the world, 

   there is 

no one else

  like me.

there are persons

who have some parts like me,

    but no one

adds up exactly

like me.

Therefore,

everything that comes 

out of me

is authentically mine

  because

    I alone chose it

I

own

everything

about

me

My body,

including

everything

it does:

my mind,

including

    all its

thoughts and ideas;

my eyes,

including 

the images

of all they behold;

my feelings,

whatever they may be

anger,

joy,

frustration,

love,

disappointment,

excitement;

my mouth,

and all the

      words that

         come out of it,

polite,

sweet or rough,

correct or incorrect;

my voice,

loud

    or

      soft;

and all my actions,

whether they

be to others

    or

  to myself.

I own

my

      fantasies,

my

      dreams,

my

      hopes,

my

      fears.

I

own

all

my

triumphs

and

successes,

all

my

failures

and

mistakes.

Because I own

all of me,

I can

become intimately

    acquainted with me.

By so doing

I can love me

     and be friendly with me in all my parts.

I can then

  make it possible for all of me

          to work in my best interests.

I know

there

are

aspects

about

myself

that

puzzle

me,
and

other

aspects

that

I

do

not

know.

But as long as

I am friendly

        and loving to myself,

I can

courageously and hopefully

  look for the

      solutions to

the puzzles and

for ways to find

    out more about

me.

However I look and sound,

whatever I say and do, and 

whatever I think and feel

at a given moment in time

is

me.

    This is authentic and

represents where I am

at that moment in time.

When

    I

review

later

  how

I looked and sounded,

What I said and did,

And how I thought and felt,

some

    parts

      may

turn

    out

      to

        be

unfitting.

I

can discard

that which

is unfitting,

and keep

    that which proved

fitting,

and

invent

something 

new

for

that

which

I

discarded.

I can

see,

   hear,

       feel,

think,

say,

    and do.

I have the tools

to survive,

  to be close to others,

    to be productive,

and to make sense and order

out of the world of people

and things outside of me.

I

own

me,

and

therefore

I

        can

    engineer

        me

I

am

me

and

I

  am

      okay.