My message for today: Be Authentic. Not a people pleaser. Not a people distancer. Instead, be authentic. Be a people includer. If this comes naturally to you, God bless you. Me? No. I've been a social chameleon, except to you all, here, and my Friendship Coach, my late husband, my brother, and a couple friends.
That social chameleon is one monkey I believe people don't catch on to, because her rose colored mirror is so big all they see is their own pretty reflection. Who doesn't like that? Except... maybe they do spot her. Maybe people are more clever than that, and really want to know the real me. Hey. Maybe the authentic me comes out any way. In any case, I've been deliberately ditching this pretty little monkey and just being - authentic. In little encounters. It's a start. It's fun, actually but for a people pleaser like me, it's unnerving. I guess this is how you learn who your friends are, when they actually like you for being authentic.
Do you use the Social Chameleon as your default? When? Or is it just me?
I'm crazy busy these days. Next week I take my little RV up to Maine for two weeks and it's so much work to get it up and running. Its suspension system, which depends on air pressure as well as leaf springs, is still broken, even though my dear mechanic has been troubleshooting it for three weeks. His last fix hasn't held. RV's loaded weight is 8800 pounds, and I need plenty of ground clearance in these campgrounds! Luckily, I just need to push a button on its dashboard to add pressure to the air bladders on the rear axle that hold it up.
Yesterday I vacuumed its upholstery, shampooed its carpets, cleaned its cabinets, washed its windows. Today I fix its dead outlet, fill its water supply, test its water pump and heater and refrigerator. None of today's work comes naturally.
Take a deep breath. Just because it doesn't come naturally, doesn't mean I'm not supposed to be doing it.
