How Do I Love Thee?

 

 

Do you know the poem How do I love thee, let me count the ways? Nah, me neither. But I (obviously) know the first line! And now that I've Googled it I also know who wrote it - Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Thanks, Beth (or Ms. Browning, if you prefer) - the first line of your poem gave me the idea of counting the ways that I'm a Square-Peg (yeah, there's no telling where my mind will roam once it gets hold of an idea).

So how am I a Square-Peg - let me count the ways? Forsooth, there are so many!

Truthfully I was thinking about the ways that I'm a Square-Peg even before the first line of Ms. Brownings' poem came to mind.

I've been working on a project recently - a manifesto-ish kind of description of life as a Square-Peg, my life as a Square-Peg: the ins and outs, blessings and annoyances - because I believe that sharing our stories is connective, encouraging, and healing.

As I've been working on the project I've been remembering a lot of my Square-Peg stories - the ones that connect to who I am, how I live, how I came to be who I am.

It seems I've been a Square-Peg all my life, often felt out-of-step, out of the loop - different.

Square-Peg traits showed up, and continue to show up, in my: 

• emotions - often feeling like I'm too much or too little (or even both at the same time), highly sensitive
• career and educational paths
• relationships
• grieving  
• the way I’ve raised my children (including, among other things, unschooling)
• questioning (pretty much everything, pretty much all the time)
• physical coordination - actually, lack of
• being out of step with cultural/spiritual/financial expectations

Looks like the term Square-Peg sums up pretty much every part of my life.

And I love that - I love that I'm unique - different (hey, we all are - it's just that people who resonate with the term Square-Peg seem to realize the fact and live it more mindfully).

Now I'm wondering: How Do YOU Love Thee? I mean: How are YOU a Square-Peg, what are your Square-Peg traits? Where do YOU feel out-of-step or different?

Comments

[Laura Hegfield]

yep... me too:-)

[Square-Peg Karen]

xox, Laura!

[Sue O'Kieffe]

Hi Karen,
Followed you here from my blog to say thanks for stopping by. Musing on this post a bit, I would say 'yup' too, except I think of myself as a round peg in a square holed world.

Sue

[Square-Peg Karen]

Hi Sue - that's quite interesting->looking at the world as square-holed and yourself as the round peg! Same concept, different wording.

You're welcome - I enjoyed your blog post, lots to think about. And thank YOU for stopping by here!!