I am what I am.

I was talking to a friend today about how we define and label ourselves. And how sometimes it’s very difficult to embrace those definitions, either because they scare us or because we don’t want to be stereotyped or pigeonholed. I am a person who has lots of interests and aspirations. If I could, I would want to make a living as a painter, an artist, a writer, a theatre reviewer, an actor, a daycare worker, a singer and anything else you could think of.

When I was in college, I had the hardest time coming up with a major because there were so many fields I could see myself working in! I took those career courses and they said that about eighty percent of the people who graduate don’t even end up working in the field they majored in. AND, on average, people change careers about six or seven times throughout their lifetime. I felt a little more at ease after hearing that.

I still have so many interests and I am so blessed to be able to either work in, or express, almost all of them in some form or another. When my friend and I were talking, we each had a certain thing, or things, that absolutely encompassed who we were. But in the end, I realized that I am that and so much more.

I still have a lot to learn about myself, but these are some of the things I know I am, right now (in no particular order):

- Daughter
- Sister
- Aunt
- Girlfriend
- Writer
- Actress
- Singer
- Movie-goer
- Artist
- Yogi
- Reporter
- Wine enthusiast
- Friend
- Advisor
- Part-time IT person
- Photographer
- Painter
- Reader
- Organizer
- Knitter
- “I Love Lucy” buff
- Disneyland fan
- Latina
- Cousin
- Researcher
- Event planner
- Confidante

I know I am so much more, and sometimes I’m just some of these things. But in the end, I’m just Gaby, a woman made up of many layers and many likes. And a person with a lifetime to express them.