What We Call Ourselves~Part 2

What got me thinking about this whole subject was a simple, off-handed comment by Belle the other day.  When I asked her if she needed help doing something, she said "NO!  Cowgirls can do ANYTHING!"   I thought of how sweet it was, the imagination of a child.  The way that however they see themselves at that moment, whatever they are playing at that moment, however they are feeling is what they are.  

Prince Charming was jumping around the kitchen two days later as I made supper.  I asked him, "Are you my silly bunny rabbit?"  He replied with, "Mom!  I a grahopper!!"  (grasshopper in 2 yr old speak).  What?!?  I wouldn't have guessed that one....maybe a frog, but a grasshopper?!   Then at lunch yesterday he was making an "arrrrggghhh" noise (what I took for a growl) & opening his mouth wide open as he made the noise (what I took for an animal getting ready to chomp).  Thinking I was safe and couldn't get this one wrong, I said "no bears at the table please!".  The reply this time?  "I a hippo mom!" along with a very disgusted Elvis-looking snarl.  Both times he was suprised (and slightly disgusted) that I hadn't chosen the correct animal, even more suprised than I was at his chosen animal.  In his mind there was no other animal he could be other than a grasshopper and a hippo.

My point is we can call ourselves whatever we want.  We can say whatever we think we are, pretend we are, try to be, or want to be, but in the end they are just words; they don't really makes us that way.  Like my children, we often think that whatever we are in our mind is what the world sees us as. It is our actions that prove whether we are a grasshopper or rabbit or frog.   We are fortunate that no one moment makes us who we truly are, but that we are able to prove ourselves over & over each day. We have the opprotunity  a thousand times a day to do a comparison in our minds (and hearts) to make sure that our actions are building the version of us that we want to be.  So, are you who you want to be?