Imagine if we could do that. Shed the layer of who we are and take on the skin/covering of someone else. This could be their physical appearance or their emotional attributes. But would we be able to change "our skin" like we do our desktop wall papers or backgrounds or cell covers? If I could change my skin..would I? Who would I be? What would I want to look like? And in so doing would it mean that I didn't care for "the skin I'm in?" Would there be others who would want to change their skin for mine...for my appearance..for my personality? I love the skin that I'm in. Sometimes I don't like it..but I do love it. I am who I am. I am comfortable being more of an introvert than a social butterfly. I am well pleased with my lithe size instead of voluptuous curves. I am happy being silly and goofy and thinking butterflies are the most exquisite things God ever made. My skin allows me to take chances in love and think about the consequences....sometimes after and not before. My skin I'm in creates an environment for people to be themselves and feel safe. My skin covers a lady..and that is what I am. My skin...my outer layer and my inner softness allows me to be me without fear.

”The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments ofcomfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge andcontroversy.”Martin Luther King Jr.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”Alexander Graham Bell

”Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”George Bernard Shaw

"Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what theworld needs is people who have come alive."Howard Thurman

Why do we try and hide it so much? Why are we embarrassed by our sensitivity as though it were a curse? We all try to be so tough and wear a mask...our pretend selves. People who are sensitive are described as weird or weak or soft or..something. Something that's not good. But our sensitivity is a sign of our purity. It's the side of ourselves that we can't hide. The side that feels raw energy and interprets without boundaries. It's who we are when no one is watching; no one can hear and no one can touch us. It's who we are at our natural selves. I am so sensitive and I'm not ashamed to say it.

This incredible journey called life has so many peaks and valleys..so many uncharted areas to explore...so many novel things to learn. There is just so much to experience. Often times when we are in a relationship we may have our own interests and our mate has theirs. That's ok because it allows each of you to continue to bring interesting ideas into your love bubble. But sometimes the interests and ideas are so opposite that it's difficult to meet in the middle and do things together. You enjoy going out on a weekly basis..he prefers chilling in his boxer shorts at home. You love going to museums and plays..he'd prefer mud wrestling and a good hip hop concert. Again, there's nothing wrong with that. It adds spice! But one thing that is really joyous is when you can explore new things with your mate. You may despise the rodeo with a vengeance but your mate adores it..hold his hand and enjoy the show together. Engaging in new things together creates such an incredible bond! When you know that you share in a new experience with your love...share in the joys of this life together with your love..you know that you are safe. It is safe to want to learn new things..to grow in different areas...to want to try things. You know that your mate has your back and is willing to do them with you and this cements your bond. It's so easy to do too and the change that is expected in life can occur organically..with both of you looking in the same direction.

I am often thinking of confidence...what makes a woman confident? What separates women who are confident from women who are not? What are some signs that a woman is confident?

1. Belief in yourself - accepting your uniqueness
2. Courage to stand up for what you believe
3. Discipline to say No
4. Continued growth
5. Ability to embrace life fully
6. Understanding there is a power greater than you
7. Ability to apologize

What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates his fate. ~Henry David Thoreau

Just as much as we see in others we have in ourselves. ~William Hazlitt

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I gave birth to Yums at home. It was an incredible experience. I was surrounded by a beautiful environment and was able to participate freely in my birthing process. As wonderful as it was there was pain....a lot of it! I used herbal tea as my pain killers. The pain was the pull my hair out, use a profound amount of profanity and call upon God to deliver me type of pain. At one point I felt as if I were being torn apart; shortly after that I felt this great expulsion and then blissful relief. Right after that moment I said...ok, I can do this again! I gave birth to my son through a lot of pain and discomfort but it was completely worth it. I thought about this with our life experiences. There are times that we are in the midst of giving birth to something great....confidence, a new beginning, security...but it's too painful. We are unable to get through the birthing process because it doesn't feel good. We don't want to deal with the discomfort, the anxiety, the gut wrenching hurt in order to make it to the other side. And the amazing thing is that what we will birth will be beyond description. It will be inexplicably beautiful. We will understand that we had to experience the debilitating pain to bring forth new life. We are able to do it naturally. We don't need prescription drugs or alcohol or some other distraction to make it through the process. We need to remember that no matter how much it hurts in the moment, when the pain is over there will be a new life.

Here I am
Naked and open before you....
Barefoot
Loving
Eager
Here I am
Hopeful
Scared
Ready
Here I am
in the midst of
taking the next step....