The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I have spent so much of my life trying to be who other people want me to be that sometimes I am not sure who I am. I have based every action, opinion and even thought on what response it would get me. I tend to be a bit of a chameleon. Changing colour to best suit my suroundings. Changing personality to best suit my companions.
I have been making a solid effort lately not to do this. To be true to myself. Which has involved getting to know myself. And I have discovered some unexpected things along the way. A lot of things I take for granted that I like or dislike are just opinions of people close to me I have claimed for myself. Here are some things I have recently discovered about myself.
I like the colour pink. It's not my favorite, but it's up there. I like sappy chick flicks. The sappier and mushier the better. I like curry. But not too strong. I like cuddling. But only one person at a time. Group cuddles overwhelm. I don't like sad songs. I hate them. I don't like scary movies. They give me nightmares. I don't like gory movies. They really disturb me. I don't like crude humour. It's not funny. Why have I laughed at it all this time? I like quiet time by myself. It's not lonely to be alone. I like baby feet. They are so cute. I like classical music. It's peaceful and uplifting. I like steak. Well done and with a little seasoning salt. Very yummy. I don't like milk. It kinda weirds me out. I don't like miracle whip. It makes my tongue cringe. I don't like having my hair touched. It makes my entire person cringe. I don't like white bread. It sucks. I love mustard. I could eat by itself.
Thank you for that list. I, too, am trying to break the chains of co-dependence. I've adapted myself to others for so long. I am working extremely hard to remember who I am: the good parts and the bad.
I am a quiet observer. And that's OK. I don't have to be a social butterfly. Quiet observation is what I use to create my best pieces of writing.
I like to think before I speak and sometimes it takes me longer than most people to think of what I want to say.
I like African coffees, recently roasted and freshly ground, made in a French press.
I do my best thinking in the time before our house wakes up and after everyone goes to bed.
I love the vivid dreams I have during a truly restful night's sleep.
I love reading, but I detest bad or pretentious writing.
I love to write. It is how I express myself best and most authentically.
I don't always have the answers. No one expects me to know everything.
-- Edited by Very Very Tired on Thursday 7th of April 2011 09:08:41 AM
I love to cook; I love searching for new recipes, reading reviewer comments on the recipes, and making new dishes.
I love to ride my bike; I am new to the area I currently live in (moved here in August) and it's time to find new paths!
I truly delight in color: I love orange or lime green walls; I love the color of butternut squash, beets, and peppers especially against salad greens or spinach.
I own a really simple camera and I love taking pictures; I like to document my days and special moments.
I like the color blue, but I think red is my favorite color.
After years of reading fiction, for the last decade I have really enjoyed non-fiction, especially memoirs.
Hi Searching4peace, This is a lovely post and helped me focus today. I like pink too. I used to wear mostly black and last year got myself a pink coat! I like getting my hair cut, I always feel great afterwards. I like fussing cats I walk past on the street. I like cake. I like spending time on my own too. I like giving myself pep talks out loud if I'm feeling a bit blue.
Hi Searching - I really like this post - thank you!
I like broccoli, aquariums, music that moves me, watching british tv shows on netflix, stephen king books, special effect extravaganzas on the big screen (movie theater with THX sound and popcorn, yum), meeting "special" children in walmart who smile broadly and introduce themselves and are so happy to see me in the next aisle, and the next, and the next, (god she was so cute), the ocean and sitting on the sand while the sun sets, building sand forests by dripping sand onto itself, feeding dry wood to a really good fire under the stars while in the woods with crickets chirping and frogs croaking and water rushing by on the creek bed nearby, catching frogs, catching toads, making my neighbors happy by catching their skunks, superbowl commercials, throwing the super ball for my dopey dog and watching the ball bounce the "wrong" way and watching her go sideways trying to get it, the fact that a short walk down to our post office can take me an hour because of who I will run into, the fact that my day can change with a phone call and next thing I know, i'm driving a bus....
I like life - its pretty dern grand!
__________________
I am strong in the broken places. ~ Unknown
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another! ~ Anatole France
I like this topic. I like knowing I can make another person's day better with a smile and without having to fix whatever problem made the day bad. I like making marshmallows grow in the microwave until they explode. I like school. I like being quiet. I like being loud and making the moostiff act goofy. I like being a kid again with my nephew. I like any music, movie or book that suits my mood. I like color and pattern around me. I like my mom. I like that I am becoming more like my mom in moderation. I like the artist Max Ernst work and life story. I like being sad when it helps me learn how to be happy.
This is great! So often I've found I've lost myself because I adapted my likes/dislikes in order to make other people happy.
Some things I've discovered or remembered I really like along my journey through recovery:
I like sci-fi and fantasy stuff I like ... no... I LOVE dancing I like cheerful, uplifting music I like the color of deep plum purple I like massages I like scented candles and incense I like my scented lotions to smell like food, not flowers (ie: citrus, figs, coconut) On the other hand, I LOVE the deep, warm earthy scent of Amber. I like really good food I like trying new recipes with new, interesting combinations of spices I like having quiet I like naps I like cool weather I like sitting in the shade I like hiking I like camping I like long phone conversations with good friends I like getting hand-written letters/notes in the mail I like writing on pretty stationery I like bright, colorful stuff I love turquoise (the color and stone) I like the rain I like thunderstorms I like cuddling
There are so many things out there that I really like - thanks for getting me to think of them because sometimes I can't for the life of me figure out what it is I like!
