Who Am I?

You could ask yourself a lot of questions, including "What is the meaning of life?" "Where will I be in 20 years?" "Is there a God?" And while all of those are important questions, some of them essential, there is one that keeps repeatedly popping in my head. Who am I? You could answer that with a simple name, but that would be the easy way out. Who am I?

I might say that I am a teenage girl, one who is interested in Star Wars and the webcomic Homestuck, whose favorite color is purple, who listens to decent music rather than that pop junk they play on the radio (please note, you don't have to agree with me on what I say, it is opinion-based).  I could tell you that I like animals, especially my dog and my guinea pig. I could go on and on about my interests. But still, I am only focusing on the outer shell of my life.

People have different shells, in my opinion. Your outermost one is very simple: it's your appearance, age, and anything someone can see before they really get to know you. As people get to know you, the real you, they peel back that shell and go to the next one: your interests, the things you like, the things you want. The first inner shell contains your needs, your loves, what is truly on your mind, your most important desires.

But most important is the innermost shell. It contains your fears, your secrets, your soul. It is the shell you would share with almost no one. I do not share my innermost shell with even my family, even though they allow me many chances to do so. When you have found someone who you can share your innermost shell with, then you have found love.

If I am asked "Who am I?" I have realized this. I am nothing on the outside of me. I am my inner shell.