“Whatever follows “I AM” represents what you’re putting out in the universe.”   — Faith Saunders

One day, while I was in my valley (my way of describing depression), I realized that one key to getting out of it is to answer the question — “Who Am I?”  This is a question that got me frustrated when I tried to answer it in the past because I could not define it with one word. In addition, my perceptual lens was very tainted. I was too busy beating up on myself — what I did not have, what I could not do, what I was told by others, and so forth — that I could not see/think clearly.  This caused a considerable amount of inner turmoil. My valley experience helped me to answer this question by putting me on the path to self-discovery.

I began to see that there is no one word to define who I am and who you are because we are complex human beings so who we are cannot be neatly put into a box; hence, the poem (see below). I also came to realize that who I am will continuously change as I live my life because I am growing and learning new things about the world and myself each day. This journey will not end until I breathe my last breath.

In addition, who you are is not based primarily upon titles, accolades, and so forth. These are a minute piece of who we are. This way of thinking gets a lot of people into trouble because when these self-defining things are gone, we are left feeling naked, empty, and alone. It is difficult not to get caught in this trap because we live in a culture that highly values what people do for a living and how much money one has. Case in point, when the economy tanked years ago — many baby boomers who had prestigious positions and longevity at their jobs lost them. Some still have not recuperated from this loss because the premise upon which they defined themselves is gone. 

The following poem was one that I wrote earlier on in my quest of self — discovery. It is a reminder to me that there is so much to who I am that is yet uncovered and tapped. In fact, the original title was — Don’t Put Me in a Box which is still appropriate. Sadly, most of the time it is not someone who is putting us in a box, but we are doing the wrapping!

 WHO AM I?

(Written by Faith Saunders)

A PERSON 

A soul who is traveling this journey called life 

Sharing, exploring, and questioning the many facets of my existence.  

A person with many roles 

Mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, employee… 

The list goes on and on 

A person with emotions, at times, too many to decipher  

Happiness, sadness, utopia, anger… 

Sometimes, they seem to all roll into one 

A person blessed with many creative outlets 

Writer, poet, speaker, actress, dancer… 

Some I have yet to uncover 

So... try to see me for who I am! 

A complex, unique and special 

I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U-A-L! 

Searching for the meaning of life while playing many roles,  

Experiencing many emotions and utilizing many creative outlets!