{via}
I’m not always good at saying things out loud, but ink is some sort of liquid courage for me & so I send notes instead of speaking words. I’m not as nice to myself as I wish I was. I’m not as nice to others as I wish I was sometimes, either, & I’m not proud of that. I’m not into confrontation & I’m not good at taking criticism. I’m not a rebel without a cause, but I’m not always going to follow the letter of the law.
I’m not at all concerned with labels, & the idea of owning a Coach purse or a Dior anything doesn’t do a thing for me. I’m not into skinny jeans or jeans at all, really — I much prefer a dress or skirt, & I’m trying to make my wardrobe reflect that. I’m not embarrassed that I prefer a good consignment store or Target to the mall. I’m not into fancy cars or having a ton of money, but I’m not into worrying about where my next meal will come from either & calling myself bohemian.
I’m not as open as I seem, when it comes to what really matters & I’m not sorry about it, because if you wait, you’ll get there and I’m not kidding when I say I think it’s worth it, to really know me. I’m not opposed to keeping your secrets & listening to your stories. I’m not ever going to stop missing some people. I’m not able to stop over-thinking some things, but I’m okay with that, too.
I’m not sure why I haven’t traveled the world yet, when the mere sight of the Eiffel Tower gives me goosebumps; but I’m not sure why I still prefer coming home to my own bed over just about anything else. I’m not sure why I have such a hard time setting off on adventures, because I always have a fabulous time. I’m not sure when travel will happen for me, but I’m positive that it will.
I’m not athletic & I’m okay with the fact that I’ll never hear cheers while out on some court or field. I’m not good at buying presents, but you’ll know I love you if I bake you something just because. I’m not ashamed of the fact that I’ll listen to the same song on repeat for hours because if I do that, it means that the song is doing something to me & I want to savor it. I’m not above a good Facebook stalking, or a good reality TV marathon. I’m not above reading five books at once. I’m not ever going to stop loving food, or stop loving cooking it. I’m not the kind of girl who drinks her coffee without cream and sugar.
I’m not as strong or together as I pretend to be sometimes, but I’m not as devastated by things as I used to be. I’m not as uncomfortable about who I am, & I rarely feel like I want to climb out of my own skin anymore. I’m not ashamed that the littlest things can bring tears to my eyes, & I’m not embarrassed by my loud laugh. I’m not always politically correct in my humor, but I’m not mean at heart. I’m not good at dealing with people who can’t laugh at themselves.
I’m not good at drawing or directions or math. I’m not into people who cancel plans with me if something better comes along or who need the conversation squarely centered around them. I’m not into being told what to do, or given unsolicited advice. I’m not good at handling disappointment well. I’m not above drinking wine at home, but I’m not party friend who will hold your hair while you get sick in a gutter. I’m not doing as much yoga as I’d like.
I’m not the smartest girl, I’m not the prettiest girl, I’m not the most-anything girl, but I’d like to be the happiest girl.
I’m not sure exactly what that means or looks like for me, but I’m not done yet. I’ll know it when I get there.
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{A big thanks to Kyla Roma and Skrinkering Hearts for the inspiration}
Copyright © 2012
yay! as an optimist, I say good job turning a bunch of little negatives (in the grammatical sense) into one big positive! (in the life sense). It’s always wonderful to realize that our limitations may very well be some of our best attributes
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I love hearing your version of this! Isn’t it just such an amazing post idea? =)
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Hmm… I like this meme—it’s an interesting exercise. I’ll admit though…I’d kind of rather hear all the things you ARE. Because that’s what matters more anyway. xoxo
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What a brilliant post idea, I might do this later
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That was an amazing post! As I read along I was like “me too” more often than not.
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love this. stealing.
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I just cried.
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This is a meme? I want to do it.
This post was fantastic. It’s so nice to read something without all the pretense, all the things we feel like we need to say or be in order for people to like us. Let’s just be us and change what we feel needs to change when we want to change it.
I like that.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Amy, Amy. Amy said: New Blog Post: I’m Not: {via} I’m not always good at saying things out loud, but ink is some sort of liquid coura… http://bit.ly/ac6mxT [...]
Beautiful post! I’m not good at math or drawing either. Nor am I very concerned with labels.
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Love it.
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“I’m not as nice to myself as I wish I was. I’m not as nice to others as I wish I was sometimes, either, & I’m not proud of that. I’m not into confrontation & I’m not good at taking criticism. I’m not a rebel without a cause, but I’m not always going to follow the letter of the law.”
Yes, yes and yes. To all of that. Amen.
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I can see why we are friends because a lot of this resonated with me.
Let’s go to Paris together; I was just thinking about the Eiffel Tower today and I want to see it, to drink in Paris, the culture, the country of France. Sigh.
Lovely post, Amy.
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Beautiful post. I might just do this as well some time.
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I literally just read this post concept on Kyla’s blog two days ago and immediately started writing my own version in my head. I loved reading yours. And I love this blog! Such a cute design
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Happiness. Yes, yes, yes. Let’s go there together, please.
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LOVE this.
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Love this. Love you.
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I’m not above a good facebook stalking either.
I AM SO EXCITED FOR COACHELLA.
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You may not be these things, but you *are* a strong, bright, amazing woman, and I cannot wait to meet you in person, and learn more about who and what you ARE.
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love this. will steal (with credit, of course).
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I’m not sure why I haven’t traveled the world yet, when the mere sight of the Eiffel Tower gives me goosebumps; but I’m not sure why I still prefer coming home to my own bed over just about anything else. I’m not sure why I have such a hard time setting off on adventures, because I always have a fabulous time. I’m not sure when travel will happen for me, but I’m positive that it will.
This one stood out to me the most. This was beautiful! It’s refreshing to focus on who you are as a person, even when you don’t understand it.
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This was so inspiring. I once wrote something similar to myself, a letter, back in high school. The gist of it was just to accept yourself. Love yourself.
I think I’m learning to do that well.
I love this because it is so intimate, so quietly intimate, like we’re sitting in comfy chairs that swallow us up, drinking coffee and whispering in each other’s ears.
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LOVE this. It gave me goosebumps. I still have them.
Thank you.
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I really love this, Amy! And I love how it’s not negative but seemed filled with positives, although it was about things you’re “not”. I learned a lot about you!
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Here via @birdykins, and I think this is incredible.
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[...] the WIP, but I’m taking the easy road out here. For some good blog reads, I highly recommend “I’m Not” by Amy at Just a Titch, found via Lindsay at Birdykins: Fly. Crash. [...]
[...] “I’m Not” by Just a Titch, via [...]
This is a lovely post. We have a lot of “I’m not” in common, so it’s pleasure to meet you.
Thanks for the glimpse into the complicated and unapologetic you.
- Liz
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[...] to a few lovely ladies for the inspiration. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Putting my house in [...]
I love this post. A little late in telling you, but I really love it.
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[...] that maybe, I am still a big kid at heart. Inspired by a post at Shrinking Hearts via Kyla Roma , Justatitch and FatMumSlim. { leave me a comment } [...]
What a great idea for a post! I love this! You write very well.
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[...] {Don’t feel like cooking? Check out old school Just A Titch with a post on what I’m not.} [...]