I really appreciate the positive feedback  pouring in from new followers to my blog.  It is very motivating to be touching the lives of so many across the globe.

I have come to realize that some of my recent blog posts have cast a negative impression on past events in my life.  So just for clarity’s sake, let me redirect my readers to the true purpose of my writing.

Writing is second nature to me.  It’s a cleansing that allows me to reflect, relate and release. I like to share my insights and experiences with others because there are so many people that desire to be understood.  Our society encourages people to walk the same walk and talk the same talk.

My rebellious nature cannot tolerate people who attempt to put me in a box and define me by our society’s rigid standards.  Many are drawn to me and then easily flustered.  These individuals project an image of me and when I don’t live up to what they expected, they are bewildered.  It troubles them because they were so sure they had me pegged.  With me, be prepared to always be disappointed.  For as transparent and open as I may seem, there are very, very few who really get me.  Most of my shared experiences barely scratch the surface of my truth.

Just for clarity’s sake 

I have left the impression there is something wrong with the paths I have chosen to follow. Nothing could be further from the truth.  I’m not a one dimensional person. I’m growing and learning, it’s called life.  I happily embrace this in myself.  I selectively share but will shut down when asked too many questions.  Prying will not get you very far with me.  If I do not volunteer the information, it is very likely you will never get it out of me.

I’m a walking contradiction who changes on a daily, sometimes hourly basis.   I’m open but private. I’m an enabler but it’s to enable you to help yourself.  I’m a people person but I love/need my solitude.  I’m strong but sensitive.  Get the picture?

Just for clarity’s sake

At every stage in my life, I was exactly who I was meant to be at the time.  I refuse to regret my choices because I needed those experiences.  From marriage, to being a mother, to taking new career paths, it’s all imperative to my journey.  At each stage in my life, I did what I needed to do because it is exactly what I needed to do at the time.  As time progresses, I’m constantly shedding older versions of myself for new and improved versions.  Sometimes it is elegantly executed and other times, I make a big mess of things to get to where I need to be in life.

Just for clarity’s sake 

Art is an expression and whatever an artist chooses to express at the time, it does not particularly indicate that is exactly what the artist experienced. Oftentimes, we pull pieces of our experiences, add some flare to it and use it to heal all while connecting with our followers.

Let’s take Beyonce’s Lemonade, for example.  Beyonce is a marketing genius.  She took an extremely private and hurtful period in her life and turned it into a commercial success.  Do you really believe that she would be able to produce a full album about her husband’s infidelity in the midst of his cheating?  Of course not.  And if people paid attention, at the end of her visual album, she showed how she healed and moved on.

We all experience disappointments, sadness, grief and setbacks.  If you are the type of person who feels better about yourself when bad things happen to others, then you are in need of growth, maturity and a big reality check…and some counseling; to say the least.

Just for clarity’s sake

We as a society need to stop putting people in a box.  Stop reading more than there is into every situation.  Nothing is black and white.  We never really know how people truly behave behind closed doors.  There are always two, sometimes three or four sides to a story.  Even with that, we still may never, ever have a clear picture of who that person really is at heart.

Just for clarity’s sake 

By this time next year, I will have evolved again.  To some, I’m finally living for myself and to others, I’ve lost my mind, gone completely insane and I’m nothing less than a selfish and self absorbed woman.  It’s all about perception.  I celebrate the fact that your perception of me is not my reality.

The simple fact is, I just am who I am.

If ever there was time where we really needed to discard preconceived notions about people, it’s now.

~ Author Mara Prose