Who are you?

Oz is a mudbeast.
He’s a gray horse, who likes to be dirty.
That’s just who he is.
Take it or leave it.

There is a saying “Be you, everyone else is taken.”
But it’s easy to say; much harder to do. Or be.

So, who are you?

I mean, really. Who are you?
I know who I am.
I’m me. Wrinkles, extra pounds, scars and all.
Take it or leave it.

People always say “Oh, just be yourself.”
What they really mean is “Oh, just be who I want you to be.”
Because that’s what it boils down to. Everyone around you wants you to be what they want you to be. How dare you deviate from that?
The phrase “At your age…” makes me want to high five the person saying it.
In the face.
With a chair.

Jealous much?
(Because that’s often what it boils down to.)
How many times have people dissuaded you from doing, wearing, wanting something? “For your own good.”? Or because it wasn’t “seemly”?
Ever wondered why they thought it was a “bad idea”?
Ever done it anyway? And had fun doing it? Positive outcome, and all that? 
Usually the nay-sayers are green with envy. The dissuasion wasn’t because they really thought you “couldn’t”, but because they didn’t want you to do something they’d love to do — but didn’t dare — usually because someone told them they “shouldn’t”.

There is always a lot of (often well-meaning) advice being given.
“You ought to dress like that. It would suit you.”
“You might want to do XYZ, it would be good for you.”
“You shouldn’t do ABC, at your age.”

I have two words for such advice:

Fuck. Off.

No, really. I mean it. Fuck-the-hell-right-off.
Yeah, I know. I ought not swear like a sailor at my age.
Well, screw you, because you ought not lecture people my age.

Maybe you’re similar to me.
Maybe you don’t like being told you can’t.
Maybe you don’t like being told you shouldn’t.
Maybe you don’t like being told you oughtn’t.
Maybe you don’t like being told you would be crazy to try, at your age.

Can’t, shouldn’t, don’t, mustn’t… aren’t in my dictionary anymore.
I can, and I bloody well will, if I want to.
There.
Deal with it.

I don’t care anymore what people want me to be. If they want someone to be a specific way… then don’t look in my direction.
I’ll never be what you want me to be.
I’ll never say what you want me to say.
I’ll never do what you want me to do.
I’ll never dress the way you want me to.
I don’t want to be what you want me to be.
I’m me, and I want to be me.
And if that’s not good enough, then that’s your problem.
Not mine.

So if someone tells you, you shouldn’t, can’t, ought not, mustn’t… and you want to?

Don’t be them, don’t be who they want you to be.
Do it anyway.

Be you

(Unless you can be a dragon. Then always be a dragon.)