Life Layers
Today when I was at the dermatologist for my annual checkup, the lovely nurse assistant who was updating my information was curious about my middle name. I explained it had been my maiden name and I just moved it to my middle name when I got married. This made her even more curious because she then wondered if I had a middle name growing up. I told her yes, but it was never my favorite, so I opted to make my maiden name my middle name when I got married. She then said, “Ooooh - you have LAYERS!”
Oooooh…..I have layers!
I’d never thought about me, or people in general, having layers like that before. We talk about problems having layers, healing having layers, solutions having layers - cake having layers (my favorite kind of layers!). But the idea of people having layers, at least in the way the nurse assistant was celebrating and having curiosity about it, seemed something different. And now I see it: our identities and our life stories have deep, rich beautiful layers. And many of those layers get put away or set aside for so many different reasons. But think about it - even by the time we’re ten, we’ve already experienced so much. We’ve already had so many layers, and stories, events and life experiences that shape us. Layers and layers of beauty, laugher, sadness, learning.
Sometimes when we’re emotionally healing, criticizing ourselves, or just trying to live our best lives, we only focus on our two-dimensional selves. We forget that underneath all the problems, the hurt, the day-to-day moments, there are deeper layers of what makes us, well, - us. Those deep, dark, rich layers of ourselves that are so much more than what’s on the top. (I seriously can’t stop thinking of this type of cake when I think of layers and I’m getting really hungry)
We contain multitudes (a much more eloquent, poetic way of saying we have layers - this is obviously only a new concept to me! Ha!).
I’d honestly forgotten the story about my name switch. And yet, there it was - a layer of me that had been in storage for a while. And what was interesting was that story opened up other layers of life memories for me. Memories of a really creative part of me who was / is resilient and strong and fun.
Oooh yes, I have layers!
If you allow yourself to go a little deeper, what beautiful, rich layers of you and your life reveal themselves? What emotions, feelings and images come up? What parts of those layers do you want to revisit? What layers inspire you?
Ooh yes, you have layers!! How delicious!
