Thoughts from my morning walk on the beach. I am having a birthday tomorrow, and realized that I have been a little slow in admitting that I am aging. In my mind, I am still a younger version of myself, that doesnʻt match the gray haired self that I see in the mirror.
I have been observing all of the things that we omit from our sharing with people, and those that we do admit to. Some of us, like myself, like to project a map that we are healthy, wealthy, and wise. I see that we sometimes donʻt want others to know about how we really feel inside, but want to share a perfect model of ourselves.
Of course, people express themselves in all sorts of ways. Some people speak from their fears, others speak from their vision and aspirations! Some people are distant and donʻt reveal anything significant about themselves. Some people over-share what is going on with themselves physically or emotionally, and that might create some reaction too. Some things might resonate internally from those sharings.
We share stories that shape the perception of ourself to others. We tell stories of our past, and of our present with others, to shape how they perceive us. Some people come out honestly when they feel triggered by a seemingly casual remark. Some people always carefully filter what they will say. We have quite a spectrum of how we present ourselves!
I think these reflections apply to everyone, not just those of use that have lived longer. Our projections of ourself to others hopefully changes with more refinement as we grow older.
Here is to creating and recognizing new and old friends, and community around us. Here is to discovering and creating aloha all around us!