I am an East Coaster. I’ve been to the very tip of Maine to both coasts of Florida and everything in between. Most recently, I traveled to my old stompin’ grounds in the Finger Lakes of New York where I got to catch a day and night of the Grassroots Music Festival in Trumansburg.

And it made sense through one song that still has my attention today. The band Driftwood out of Binghamton, NY and their song “Working Mom’s Anthem” has become a song even my children know the words to. A super hearty bluegrass band whose fiddle player was raw and on fire that night. As my body grooved next to one of my closest friends, she was like, “this is my new favorite band.”

So what is it about this song? Follow the link to see for yourself. What I want to talk about is deeper than the tune.

For me, it just highlights what it feels like to be me on some days. “I’m tired of being tired. I’m old and I’m tired. And my hands are tired. I’m tired.”  Or the catchy phrase, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

You see, within us lives so many different sides of ourselves. They emerge depending on who we are with, what the weather is like, what we are doing, what we think about, what book we read, who posted what on Facebook. Too many variables to name. Sometimes we may like a certain look or find material possessions really important. Sometimes we may want to live simply and be known for being kind and friendly. Sometimes we don’t want to be known at all. Sometimes we want to try on a new way of being: a new trend, a new trait.  Sometimes we are too scared, in fear of being judged.

Young people are all searching for identity. “Who am I? Who do I want to be? Who don’t I want to be?” What I have come to realize within the search for self is that within us lies many sides. To pin one down would be unfortunate really. All these sides make up the beauty within and offer us the chance to be so unique from one another versus being one dimensional.

Even adults still grapple with this concept. Fear of being judged or stepping outside the comfort zone. Especially in a small town for which many of you grew up in. People get set in these identities, and they can be hard to shake.

All I know is, I don’t want to be one dimensional.  That doesn’t sound good at all.

Driftwood.  Working Mom’s Anthem.  Who I am during some moments of a day and you may be too.