Who I Am

Almost seven years ago, I did something that to me was quite bold. It may seem like a small or simple thing for many, but for me it was a big step. For my 30th birthday, I went with my friend to get my nose pierced. For years, someone close to me had made comments about the size of my nose that made me feel as if it were a great flaw. I chose to claim my flawed nose and celebrate it. To me, this piece of sparkle in my nose was a symbol. Not just about celebrating my own flawed beauty, but of my connection with a group of people I considered to be my community. 

Less than a year after getting it done, due to the many warnings I had from people in my life that it made me seem less respectable, and that I would be taken less seriously, I let the hole in my nose heal over.

Last weekend, I decided to reclaim this part of my identity that I had hidden away. I chose to re-celebrate my flawed beauty, rise above the shame we are constantly made to feel for not fitting a certain mold. I chose to re-connect with the community to which I belong. I chose to remember who I am.  

And when I sat on the counseling couch in her office on Wednesday and told her what I'd done, her eyes sparkled with tears and a grin lit up her face and she says to me, "I'm so proud of you, Amy.  You're remembering who you are."