Ch ch ch ch Changes!

You know how at the end of high school all of your

classmates would sign your yearbook with comments

along the lines of "Never change! You're amazing"?

That's a bunch of bollocks.

Change is a good thing.

We should change. High School Me wasn't all that amazing.

I was awkward, unsure of myself, naive, with

an over-romantic view of what my life would become.

Current Me is still awkward, but I'm most certainly

less naive and had my romantic tendencies disillusioned

 out of my years ago.

In the 20 years since high school graduation, I've learned to

recognize my inherited prejudiced notions. I'm less tolerant

of racist or homophobic jokes, making me less

popular with certain members of my family. 

College and just the simple act of leaving my small

town bubble was a big eye-opener.

It's important to realize that the world is bigger than yourself.

I've changed in other ways too.

Exercise and body image is approached differently.

While I still don't always feel comfortable in my skin,

I've learned how to cope with those feelings.

Instead of thinking about the stuff I want to do, I've

made the decision to go after them.

As they say at the end of the Rocky Horror Picture Show:

DON'T DREAM IT, BE IT.

I take more control over my style and have become

more experimental with my appearance.

And certainly take my appearance more seriously.

Not like fashion model seriousness, even though you

can probably draw a direct line to that through some of 

the people on Instagram I follow.

I use make up more now than I used to.

I basically refused to use it much when I was younger.

My heroes and inspirational figures have changed a bit too.

In my small world-view in high school, Benny Goodman was

the only one I really aspired to.

With the expansion of my world in college and after, I now

add Candy Dulfur, Dave Matthews, David Bowie,

Joanna Newson, and Tom Waits to my list of idols,

among others.

It's important to change.

The world changes and you must change with it.

Sometimes, that means recognizing your limits

and sometimes it means checking every door and window

to bust yourself out beyond your limits.

And sometimes it means buying a body mist that you'd not

touch with a ten foot pole as your past self.

Who am I?

Ariana Grande's Cloud?

It smells like candy.