As I was scrolling through Instagram today someone very close to me posted something that really made me reflect who I am. They wrote the following

“PSA: Working out suppresses the person I used to be… when at times I didn’t give a shit about consequences only the pain and suffering I could cause. To know and show what I could do to someone who crossed me with no regrets or sympathy only anger. As I get older I realize decisions I’ve made in the past weren’t right or justified but I’ve also realized that people make choices for themselves on a daily basis. I will always have that person from the past inside me and it’s other people’s choice if they choose to meet that person or not…”

I have known this person all my life even before we could walk and it pains me to think what they must be going through to make this statement public. However, I applaud the ability to speak their truth and share this thought with so many. The statement inspired me to think about myself and not only my internal perception but the different perceptions of people who I have crossed path with thus far on my life journey.

I would like to take the time to say thank you for those who have always been kind enough to stick with me through the years and call me your friend. I would like to say thank you to those who have spent but a moment in time with me and for that time called me your friend. I would like to thank the people who would call me a friend even if we never really spent anytime together on a personal level but somehow share a story.

As I reflect I realize how much I have grown as a person but also realize how much growing I have left to do. See life is a journey of lessons that in the end make up a persons story. Everybody tells a different version of that persons story based on the time spent with or around that person. So many times we are unaware of the influence we may have on other peoples lives. Honestly so many time we don’t care. It’s in those moments of not caring can we truly find who we really are as a person.

I think the old saying ” Do what I say not as I do” would be fitting for how I have approached life in the sense that you should probably do what I say instead of what I do.  So with all the thank you’s I handed out earlier comes with a huge apology if for any reason you ever felt as if I wronged you in some way. I stick with what I have said for many years in that I don’t regret anything I have done in life. I will say however that mistakes are made and that is the only way we learn. I have learned a lot. So no matter what SOMEBODY I am to you thank your for sharing whatever moment we may have shared. Who I am today is the sum of all my somebodies and although there are differences I will always be who I am. Thanks for reading and have a great week. Please give a hug to the next friend that you see. I also challenge you to be a better somebody whatever that may mean to you.