One of the wonderful things about getting older is slowly becoming more and more yourself. And I guess figuring out who you are as you become that person. You start to care less what other people think and start caring more about what you think. One of the glorious awkward things about this process is that sometimes you forget who you are because you’ve become so comfortable with all your quirks. And I have many quirks.

But because friends and family have seen more and more of who I am over the years, sometimes I forget to warn people of my oddities. For example, I was at a session a little while ago and I forgot to warn them that I’m weird. And when I got that first shot that made my heart sing with excitement and I couldn’t contain it and the happiness came out of me as a happy song. (If you haven’t had your portraits taken with me – when I get excited I start to sing a little and sometimes I even dance… I really can’t help it.) And I realized they were both surprised and amused by what had just happened – staring and laughing at my uncontainable joy. And that’s when I remembered that I’m weird.

So if you’re reading this – I hope you’ll take some time today to embrace what makes you who you are. Be unapologetic about it. Love it. And let it burst forth from you with joy! Because it’s these little things that make you different that make you unique! Don’t let anyone make you feel less for being wonderfully you!