Awkward Sam-ily Photos: October past personas
A lot has happened in 2023. My daughter was born. My mom and dog died. Outside of my personal sphere, I also witnessed many other entrances and exits with friends, family, and former college classmates. In total, a significant year of death and (re) birth. And what a time to acknowledge this: October, the month of Halloween – a time of disguises, the living dead, and changing personas. In October, we’re given license to be someone else. But if adding a dash of makeup and a dark outfit is all one needs to be someone else, it makes me wonder – how solid was our identity to begin with?
Fall back to spring forward – a million different people from one day to the next
When I was young, I spent time and energy trying to get away from myself. I wanted…more. I wanted different. I wanted to be more different than I thought I was. In fact, I often thought there was something wrong with me and that the best way to solve this was to become someone else. But after my mom died, I found boxes of photos. In each, I encountered all of these different versions of myself. In some, I was unique. In others, I hardly recognized myself. And in some still, I found eclectic people that I’d once called myself but had forgotten. After revisiting all of the different people, I started to see my selves a little differently. Instead of, “Yikes, I really don’t like that guy,” I started to think, “Hey! I was a cute kid!” Maybe I didn’t dislike myself as much as I thought. In fact, maybe I liked myself a bit more than I remembered.
Introducing the October past personas project
So this October, I’m falling back to spring forward. Instead of dressing up, I’ve decided to dress it down…or at least dress backwards? You get me. I’m looking back to move forward. I may no longer be the boy in the photos, but I’d like to honor his memory by sharing a few of them with you.
Photo Number 1: Gold medal on the mind…
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Adorable, right? And no matter the landing, it’s a 10 out of 10 for this lil’ gymnast…
In closing, if you’d like to see more absurd, fun, and, dare I say, charming photos of yours truly throughout the decades, I’ll be posting a few pictures of my past selves on Instagram everyday all month long. Let’s call it “Awkward Sam-ily photos: Halloween edition.” Follow me here. Plus, if you’d like to share photos of your past selves, tag me and use the hashtags #fallbacktospringforward or #octoberpersonasproject. I’d love to bear witness.
There’s no shame in being you, whoever you are or whomever you’ve been. After all, tomorrow you’ll be someone different. So today, stand in the light of who you’ve been, proudly and courageously. I encourage you to start where you are and to be yourself. In the spirit of community, I’m happy to go first.
Happy Halloween!
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