The Ten Parts of Me {Part 1}

At the gym the other day, I did some thinking. Honestly, I am always thinking, but the gym is a time where I feel like I “work through” my thoughts. I realized that I have about 10 different angles to me. I’m sure we all do.

Here are the ten parts of me:

1. The Romantic Sharlee

This is the version of me that cuddles with my husband, kisses him like crazy, tells him I love him, and plans fun dates. A lot of my time at home is spent in this mode, lucky for me. I love being in love.

2. The Spiritual/Believing Sharlee

The version of me that needs to be fed through spiritual music and uplifting words. This is the me that goes to church, says prayers, and always keeps a hope and a prayer in her heart. This is the me that chokes up when we sing songs in primary almost every week. It’s the me that will listen to the same talk over and over again and get goosebumps every time. I love feeling moved and overwhelmed by love of God and of His love for me.

3. The Healthy Sharlee

This is the me that feels empowered and invigorated by exercise. I love to go on walks and I love getting lost in my workout at the gym. I love cooking wholesome meals and learning more about how to better feed my body. I love to enjoy a meal that I know is good for me and yet is full of flavor. I love taking care of myself.

4. The Knowledge-Seeking Sharlee

I didn’t discover this part of myself until high school and discovered even more of this part of myself in college. I love learning! I continue to take additional classes and take on additional tasks. This year I’ve taken on so many opportunities for continued education both within my school district and outside of it. I love learning about teaching (that sounds funny). I love developing more understanding of the content I’m teaching as well as learning better ways to present it so that it makes sense to my students. I also love just as much to learn about blogging, food, and even home remedies. I saw one thing on the Oil Cleansing Method on the internet and I spent two hours reading as much as I could on the topic. I love to learn.

5. The Lazy Sharlee

I have a good work ethic…at work. After that, that version of me goes out the window and in comes the lazy version of me. I’ve always been this way. I never followed through with an extra curricular activity in grade school because I wanted to come home, have a snack, and watch Saved by the Bell. Not much has changed. When work is over, I want to be done working. I want to eat a snack, stay home, and watch my show (it’s not Saved by the Bell but most of my shows are still very similar…Sidenote: Mom once said to me, “I bet I will come to your house when you are forty and you will still be watching a television show where kids are talking by their lockers in the hallway at school. I’m well on my way, mom!)

6. The “I Need Words” Sharlee

Books, blogging, quotes, conversation. This me needs it all. I LOVE to read, I love to find a good line in my book and copy it down. I love reading blogs…inspirational blogs that help me walk away with a better understanding of something or that make me want to make more of myself. I love the power in words. I love to write. I love putting my thoughts together and trying to make a memory, a moment, or an understanding something concrete and almost tangible.

7. The Redneck Sharlee

This is the country music, guns, and hot dogs me. I need those things in my life. I love country music like a religion. It will get me going like nothing else. It brings out such a side of me that not many people know exists. I fully embrace this part of me any time I have a chance.

Not that it’s necessarily redneck, but I I always pair this with my summer-loving self. Sun bathing, jeans, rodeos, camping, etc..Tan Sharlee is the most redneck Sharlee!

8.  The Domestic Sharlee

I didn’t discover this part of me until I got married. I love to keep order in my house. I love cleaning, organizing, and getting things done. I am totally in love with finding recipes and I love coming home to try out a new experiment. I love meal planning and I love the sense of accomplishment when the new groceries for the week are put away and we’re ready to eat well for the next seven days.

9. The Funny Sharlee

I am more funny in a dry, rude-ish way most of the time, but there is a funny side to me. I just rediscovered how funny I am. People at work laugh at me all the time, Mom thinks it’s because of my honesty. I think that’s usually why my mom laughs at me, too. I’m overly honest about things sometimes.

I may not laugh easily and I may not always make others laugh, but I LOVE to laugh. I love laughing at my dad, mom, brother, or Zach. With my dad I’m usually laughing at him, but sometimes with him. With mom it’s a toss up..sometimes I laugh at her, other times I laugh with her. With my brother and Zach I’m usually laughing with them. I love to watch funny television shows or movies…I just finished reading Ellen’s book. I read it at Hastings over the course of 5 dates there. (I know, I’m horrible. I should support Ellen. I do…it’s just it was $13.00 and it wasn’t a very big book). Anyway, I picked up the book and was laughing almost immediately. Zach looked at me and goes, “Really? It’s that funny already?” Like I was pretending or something. This only made me laugh harder.

Which brings me to this. I love to laugh at myself, but it’s a thin line. If you make fun of me you can either make me laugh until I cry or you can send me directly to the tears. It’s a rocky road and I don’t recommend many people travel it, but if you do it just right, you’ll get a good laugh out of me.

10. The Girly Sharlee

To put it simply, I love being a girl. Painted toe nails, bubble baths, jewelry, perfume, shoes, and cute underwear makes all the un-fun stuff (other women, insecurities, the time it takes to get ready for work) worth it. I love embracing femininity.

Think about yours! What are your ten versions?

And stay tuned, because I have a reason for sharing this with you!