How Does One Sum Up Their Soul?

Hey everyone! I’M BACK! :D

So, I promised a post with a bit more focus on who I am – just so you’re not following a complete stranger. ;) I will do my best to deliver.

First and foremost in my heart is God. He is the be-all-end-all to everything I do in life and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without Him.

A picture I took on our recent holiday

Second, it would probably interest some of you to know that I hail from the sunny east coast of Australia! The heat and wild weather is no joke here, folks. But I wouldn’t switch countries for the world. (Also, let me clarify that every pun I make here is very much unintended. I have a horrible habit of accidentally making puns.)

Thirdly, I come from a family with six kids (plus a sister-in-law)! I’m one of the ones squashed somewhere in the middle. My mother homeschooled all of us, and I must say she didn’t do too bad a job, either. ;) We have been living in the country for over a decade, and now I cannot imagine living somewhere that isn’t surrounded by acres of wooded paddocks, with cattle and horses around, and no neighbours to be seen.

A picture I took of said family on said holiday ;)

I graduated from school over a year ago, and am currently working at a cafe owned by some of our friends. (I don’t think it could get more ideal – working with your good friends and sister!) I enjoy my job, but I also have many passions and hobbies on the side. One that sets my heart on fire is music; especially musical theatre. Being homeschooled, we never had access to drama lessons etc, so I would make my own fun, inspired by the musicals I watched and listened to. I would write play scripts myself, direct them and act them out with my little siblings in front of the rest of my family (an audience of five – then after my brother married, six ;)). It’s still something my siblings and I do for fun. And after dreaming of it for years, I was finally able to pay for my own private singing lessons, which I heartily enjoy. (Next on the list is dancing lessons!)

I grew up surrounded by music – my sisters and mother played the piano, as did I (I still love it – I could literally sit down and play for hours), my father played the guitar and the drums, my older brother played the guitar, my older sisters played the violin and the banjo... we all dabbled in something. Being the bossy older sister I was, I persuaded my little sister to sing duets with me (specifically Disney – I remember our first one we learnt was “I See the Light”), and she was always the boy for me. (She probably had a stronger voice than I did!) Conveniently, my little sister is also gifted with this talent of being able to sing in harmony with ANYTHING – so of course I always preferred singing with her, as she made anything I sang sound so much better. ;)

It is my dream to someday be a part of a local musical theatre company, and truly experience the theatre world as it really is – not how I imagine it to be. I’m still working on it. ;)

Via Pinterest

Outside of music, the other thing to always capture my attention has been words. I’ve gone through so many different areas – first it was poetry (something I really should brush up on...), then story writing, and all the while I would forever have my nose in a book. (Literally! I couldn’t tell you how to drive ANYWHWERE because I never looked out the window – I was always reading.) I read my first Dickens novel at age 12, and was hooked on classics ever since. I love books – both fiction and non-fiction – and I’m certain that will never change.

I also have this strange obsession with languages. I love learning new words and enjoying the challenge for my brain. I’ve been teaching myself French for a couple years, and recently started Italian. (It has been my goal for awhile to be able to speak conversational French, Spanish and Italian.) I’m one of those kids that love linguistics and writing, and tend to detest mathematics or physical science.

In addition to books, I am also a sucker for a good movie. Adaptions of books I love, mysteries or thrillers with twists, action, MUSICALS, period dramas, historical films, some fantasy or the occasional science fiction... I love a good movie as much as the next person. ;)

Overall, it would probably be accurate to call me a “Jane of all trades”... (my middle name is Jane, after all. ;)) I have dabbled in many things all my life, and have interests in many, many areas. Exercise, fitness, health, personality types and characteristics, art, archery, baking... the list goes on and on.

Via Pinterest

Perhaps it’s partly to do with the fact that I’m terrible at making decisions. Maybe it’s because one of my pet peeves is people who refuse to try new things or be adventurous. Whatever it is, nothing seems to be able to shake off my enthusiasm.

I’m a dreamer of big dreams. I gain inspiration and motivation and want to do EVERYTHING. When people tell me they don’t know how to spend their spare time, I blink and try not to tell them they’re crazy. I always have multiple projects running, and never enough time to fully complete all of them. And yet, I love to have everything organized and efficient. (For those who might be wondering – I am an ENFJ.)

I often feel like a racer, running in her lane and wondering if she should switch to a different one. So if you can relate at all, I’m with you. I’m still trying to figure out where I fit in with all of this. I’m learning to say no, to draw boundaries, and to discipline myself to prioritize correctly.

via Pinterest

But everyone is in this together. I’d venture to say most people haven’t figured their ‘thing’ out yet, and that’s okay. We’re all learning; we’re all growing. I fear failure, but perhaps what I should fear more is the failure to even try. Fear is crippling, and I don’t want to live my life hobbling around in my comfort zone. That is why I want this blog to focus on freedom; how I’ve found it, how I’m finding it, and how you can find it, too.

I hope this post has helped you learn a little more about me. I know I certainly didn’t cover everything – but how can a soul be summed up in 1,000 words? With every post, you will learn some more about me, and I hope I will also learn a bit more about you.

Thanks for listening. 

Don’t be afraid to speak up yourself. Xx