Being Real

I was talking to my brother tonight and he said something really cool. He said something about how I have managed to stay true to myself despite living a functional life in mainstream society. I honestly think I have been able to do this and feel happy/proud of the fact that I have been able to be true to myself while living a regular, functional life in society.

I have a forty hour a week job, that I go to every day, do my best at and work hard at, but when I go home I am still me, a girl that writes a zine and loves independent media. I work forty hours a week, pay my car insurance/rent and the like, yet I still maintain my core values of kindness, self-respect, and open-mindedness.

I'm not the same naive girl I was at 18, the girl that saw going on a road trip as her only future. I am a girl/woman that pays bills, files taxes, works full-time, yet I have managed to still be me and not compromise myself. I think this is the ultimate goal of life, to be yourself while still doing what you have to do to get by. Yes, I put on a collard shirt and go to work every day, but I also manage to still be myself and do what I love.

Once someone told me that they thought I was really real. This is one of the best compliments I have ever received. I love being real. I love being myself despite all the shit I have to deal with on a daily basis, despite how much I have to turn and face mainstream society on a daily basis.

Underneath it all, I'm still me. Yeah, I may not be running away on a road trip like I once dreamed, but I am still loving life, trying my best and staying true to the originality of who I am. I'm still watching coming of age stories, shopping at thrift stores and reading independent media and listening to powerful music. I'm still making collages and taking photos. I have my good days and my bad days and I try to remember to embrace both.

Oh yeah, I called the apartments today. They said we passed the credit check we're just waiting for our income verification forms! Whooo we are almost there!