Part 3: Seeing Her

I've been thinking about all those messages many Gen-X women received growing up.

Be nice.

Be pretty.

Be accommodating.

Be supportive.

And if we're being honest, many of us got very good at all of those things.

What I find interesting is that I never really lost myself.

Not completely.

The dreams I had as a teenager are remarkably similar to the dreams I have today.

The difference is that somewhere along the way, I convinced myself those dreams could wait.

I settled for being admired instead of being known.

For being appreciated for my appearance rather than understood for my mind, my heart, my humor, my ambition, and my purpose.

I don't think I'm alone.

Many women of my generation built beautiful lives, raised wonderful children, and loved their families deeply.

But somewhere beneath the responsibilities, the schedules, the sacrifices, and the expectations was the same girl she'd always been.

Still waiting.

Still dreaming.

Still hoping someone would see her.

The irony is that after all these years, the person most responsible for seeing her has always been me.

And thankfully, she's still here.

Older, wiser, and finally free to become everything she was meant to be all along.

And I have a feeling she's just getting started.