Choose your identity...

Have you noticed, at the bottom of the comment box on the blogs, there's a caption that says, "Choose Your Identity"? (It's okay if you haven't seen it, I may be the only one...play along.)

It completely intrigues me, that in this medium of communication, we get to choose our identity! As a child, I spent a lot of time trying on identities in play....pioneer woman, prom queen, cowgirl, princess, teacher, mother. There was no pressure to maintain that persona beyond the game of pretend.

I also remember the angst of trying on identities in high school. Was I a brain? Was I a jock? Class president? Back-of-the-class-please-don't-notice-me? I would see some of my classmates who had obviously settled that particular issue, and envied their confidence in themselves! (Truth be known, they were probably going through the same thing, just better actors...)

Through my twenties, I was still choosing my identity, only I didn't have as much time to spend analyzing it. There was too much to do! Too many people to meet! Rent to be paid and real live jobs.

Now I'm in my thirties...I won't say how far into my thirties....and I'm still working on the identity. But there's no pressure, and I'm really enjoying the process. I'm a lot different than I thought I would be, which is a surprise to my sister, specifically. She calls and wants to plumb the depths of my psyche, and when she's done (to her satisfaction), she basically tells me that I'm not who I was, and she can't figure out how I got here, from there. I'm assuming she means from childhood. And I would have to agree with her.

So, when I leave a comment for my blog friends, I look at that little phrase and wonder what identity I should choose. It's been a lot of fun to be The Farmer's Wife! But sometimes I am really tempted to leave a different name, such as Sophia Laurenz, or Jane O'Jungle, or Annie Oakland Raider.....