This Is Me

When my mom was in college she majored in journalism. One of their assignments was to go to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Topeka. My mom got lost on the way to Topeka, and by the time she made it there, the parade was over. She turned in an article about how she missed the entire parade and all the events that led to her missing it.

This assignment is my St Patrick’s Day parade article.

I’ve never had an identity crisis. I’ve always been sure of who I am. I have sat at my laptop everyday this week trying to think of a time I haven’t been sure of myself or of when I’ve questioned my place in life, but I can’t think of anything. Every night this week I’ve said that I’ll just write it tomorrow. At the time I’m writing this, the paper is due in only a few hours. This assignment is causing a crisis of identity.

I lamented to my parents my inability to find a topic to write about for this assignment. Their solution was to take online quizzes about identity. The results all came back that I had “achieved my identity.” It was of no help, although I appreciated the suggestion.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggests that there is an order in which each individual must approach their needs.  The first level is physiological needs such as food, water, and shelter. Once a person has these they move on to safety and security needs such as health, money, and stability. Then a person needs to feel loved and like they belong. The penultimate level is things like confidence, connections, and the need for individuality. The final level is self-actualization. This level is things like morality, creativity, and inner potential. I imagine someone in an identity crisis resides in between the top two levels. I personally think my mindset is in the top tier. I know who I am, I’m just trying to find how that fits with everyone else.

I’ve never had an identity crisis. I suppose I’m luckier than most in this instance. I’ve always known who I am and what I’m about. I’ve always had an interest in learning. I’ve always liked reading and music and I’ve always preferred funny movies to sad ones. I’ve always been loud and opinionated. I’ve always been me. I don’t think this will ever change. Different aspects of me will change as I grow and mature, but at the end of day, the person I was at age five is essentially the person I will be at age eighty-five. I know who I am.