Three lives

I've been joking that I have three lives lately. I just wrote an article about it actually. I won't bore you with the whole article but in a nutshell, I feel like I have three separate lives. I actually have three different suitcases for each one. In my first life I'm a pretty typical Norwegian Lutheran Minnesotan. I wear mukluks, blue jeans, and Mr. Rogers style wool cardigans. I shop for groceries, work from home, bake cookies and muffins, run to Costco, meet friends for coffee, visit my neighbors, do laundry, avoid ironing, etc. It's a pretty normal life.

In my second life I'm an East Coast Jet-setter. My amazing husband works in New Jersey during the week and in an effort to see him more than just eight days a month I will, on occasion, fly out to Jersey and stay for a week or two. In this life, I wear a lot of black, I actually iron my clothes, wear shoes with heels, run into New York City for the afternoon, visit the Metropolitan Art Museum, eat coffee across from Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer, and never cook.

In my third life I'm a wilderness guide. I run my own trips or work for a company in Boulder Colorado. I wear Chaco's, or hiking boots, lounge in polypropylene and wool, know what anoraks are, care about wicking and waterproof, carry heavy loads, hike for miles, canoe for miles, and generally don't shower more than once in a 5-7 day period.

Sometimes I feel like I'm developing a personality disorder. Sometimes I feel like I have a really cool life. Sometimes I just get tired of going through security at the airport. Sometimes I just try to pretend I don't have three lives and create the illusion of having a routine in my life. But really I don't think I'm that different from anybody else. This world is nuts. We're all doing fifty things at once and wondering why we feel like the years keep passing by faster and faster. Do you ever wonder if it would just be easier to just unplug the computer, shut off the cell phone, disconnect the pagers and iphones and smart phones and blackberry's and twitter accounts? (P.S. I don't have any idea why people like twitter). Maybe it's unrealistic. Maybe it's why of all my lives I kind of like the third one best. Or maybe there's something to trying to find a way to be all of our "people" with a little more ease and grace. Either way, I feel a fourth personality coming on and I think I'm going to go to bed before she takes root.

Comments

  1. I'll ship my computer and my BlackBerry to you. Rescue them from your doorstep and do as you please.

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  2. I often glimpse back and realize I have lived as many different personalities. The great part is I constantly develop. It is comforting to share with like minded woman.

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  3. I am in awe of your three lives. I have one life.. at best two.. but pretty much one and while that may sound like it helps me in my self identity sometimes it feels like I'm faking it. Even in your three lives I see you as an authentic person who can adapt to her surroundings, but at the core, remain who she is and she is beautiful and I am thankful she is my friend.

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