Being authentically ourselves

by Kath Cheer
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June is Pride month and Ageing Without Apology month. These both resonate with me and encourage me to reflect on the importance of accepting and being true to who we are.

In another life (or so it seems) I wanted to ‘just be normal’. Now I am in a long term same-sex relationship, and it feels the most normal thing in the world. Today my relationship choice is accepted and sometimes even celebrated so being openly and authentically myself is easy, but that’s not the case for everyone. I am very lucky.

When I was a child, I calculated that I would be 38 at the turn of the century and that seemed really old. Now I’m 63 and I still don’t feel old (although I am often reminded of it when I look in the mirror!) Sometimes I start to wish that I could go back 40 years and do things differently but I would not be who I am now without those life experiences. Instead, I enjoy the urgency that I feel, knowing I want to make the most of the time I have.

Embracing who I am is definitely important for my mental health and wellbeing. Of course that’s not the whole picture, but it’s certainly a part of it. I will be using other celebration days and weeks over the coming months to highlight other aspects of this.

So, that’s a bit of my story … but what’s yours?
• How easy do you find it to be self-accepting and to live in a way that is true to yourself?
• How often do you wish that things could be different?
• Do you ever catch a glimpse of what your potential could really be but you can’t quite reach it?

Reach out if you would like to discuss this further!