Who Am I?

Who is Ms. Understood, and why does she blog?

She is me!
I’m a proud Southern girl living in a nice little town in North Florida—which, unlike south Florida, is still very much the South! I’m 33, married for 8 years to the best guy ever. I’m generally a happy person, but I have my hang-ups and disappointments, and this is where my title comes from.

I’ve always been a deeply misunderstood person. Put very simply, I think differently from most people. I’m not a follower, and I fit in with mainstream culture about as well as the proverbial square peg fits into a round hole. I hold strong opinions on many things, and those opinions usually buck the status quo—which brings scorn from many of those who follow it. Then there’s my sense of humor, which is dark and even sardonic at times; it has surely made for many a misunderstood moment!

My greatest frustration is when I say something, I can count on there being at least someone who will misunderstand my meaning in one form or another—and then hold it against me! I’ve always said it’s the bane of my existence, but after thirty-plus years on this earth, I’m convinced it’s actually something to take pride in.

In fact, in recent years, I’ve discovered that I really do like myself, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about me (except maybe some irrational phobias, but I even kinda like those!). I realized that God created me the way I am, and I believe it was so that I could do something different, something special. As of yet, I don’t know exactly what that is, but I’m searching. I can’t wait to find it.

I would like to make an impact on the world, and I hope to eventually do that through my writing, if by no other means. That’s one of my reasons for blogging. My other reasons are simply for the sake of venting whenever the need arises, for sharing my joys, or for recording things that I want to remember back on someday. Sometimes it’s just a place to write out what I’m feeling at a particular moment, in essay or sometimes in prose.

That’s the basic idea of who I am and why I blog.
But for those who want more details, I’ll share more.

I was blessed to have been paired with another misfit just like myself. Philip has always done his own thing and lived in his own little world. I guess that’s why we’ve stuck together for so long. It’s hard to say how long we’ve been together, because we grew up together and were best friends from high school on. Our friendship lasted through my ill-fated relationships with other men, through thousands of miles of separation, and through Philip’s years away at college. We were there for each other through it all.
One day I opened my eyes and realized that the one person on this planet who actually understood me was right under my nose, and we’ve been a pair ever since. That was 11-ish years ago, and we’ve been married for over 8 of those years. We enjoy life in a way that I didn’t know was possible until we paired up.

Together we have a 2.5 year-old son who is a direct answer to many prayers, as I was told years ago that I’d never bear a child. God didn’t agree with that diagnosis, however, and thanks to his grace, I’m a mother — the only career I ever wanted. I’m a stay at home mom and much of my thinking these days revolves around my son and various mommy-hood issues. I’ll admit it up front: I’m a passionate advocate for breastfeeding and many other natural aspects of mothering, from conception to birthing and beyond. I write often about these issues as they come up in my mind and life.

Other stuff about me:

I love to write (obviously!), and I’ll apologize in advance for my frequent long-windedness. I seem to never be able to say anything briefly…not even when writing a bio.
I also love reading and am usually reading something at any given time.

One of my biggest passions in life is music. My dad owned a radio station for most of my growing-up years. There were times that I spent more of my waking hours there, than at my house. I feel like I grew up in an amazing environment, and I know it’s where I acquired my obsession with music.
My favorite types of music are: current and past indie rock, hard rock, classic rock, authentic punk rock, classic new wave, a little bit of outlaw country, and oh–just about ALL music from the 80s. I’m kind of in a time warp when it comes to 80s music & culture.
A few of my very favorite artists are: The Eagles, U2, The Cure, Boston, Social Distortion, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, and Counting Crows.

I’m a child of God, and out of everything about me, I view this as the most important. I believe firmly that a Christian’s life is not to be dictated by religion nor by rules, but rather by relationship alone. Legalism and the like are contrary to everything Jesus taught and stood for. This concept, as well as my relationship with Christ, is pretty much woven into all of my beliefs and how I try to live my life. Notice I said “try”…I’m a work in progress, that’s for sure.

As far as politics/social beliefs go, I definitely think outside the box. I affiliate myself with neither of the two major parties. My beliefs run strongly Libertarian on nearly every issue. I do vote Republican most often, but that’s only because out of the two mainstream parties, they do the least damage to our freedom.
I debate whether I’m liberal or conservative, but I think the answer is that I’m both, depending upon the issue. To most Christians & right-wingers, I’m viewed as liberal–mostly because I believe that personal liberty is more important than imposing my beliefs onto others. But to most “liberals”, I’m labeled as conservative for the same reason: my belief in personal liberty for all, as well as a strong belief in personal responsibility (two values to which most liberals are strongly opposed). And that’s enough on politics! I really dislike political/social debate.

I suppose that’s everything about me that I find remotely interesting. I tried to include all the things I look for whenever I’m reading someone else’s bio. If you read it, then yay! My hope is that I’m now a little more understood.