who am I?

Man, know thyself. ~ Socrates

Who am I? Who are you?

Through my adult life I have been defined by many things:

My career. My job title. My place of residence. My possessions. My associations. My dreams.

These are ephemeral definitions. I am learning that...the hard way. All these things have been stripped away, bit-by-bit.

My career. 

My chosen career path requires an ability to travel and current circumstances do not allow this privilege. 

My job title.

I am unemployed. One of the first questions people ask when meeting them is, "what do you do?" I don't have a job, thus I have no job title to identify with.

My place of residence.

I currently live in the basement bedroom of a friends home, in a city I would not have predicted I would reside. I find it difficult to answer questions about "home." I don't feel that I have one. I haven't had one for years and don't know if that will change.

My possessions.

I sold the majority of what I owned to lighten the load when moving overseas. When returning to America we liquidated again and are the proud owners of a few pieces of furniture (not enough to furnish a one bedroom apartment) and a few household goods (which are still in Africa in embargo). 

My associations.

My relationships are limited in our new city. I have no professional network here. The majority of my friends and family are elsewhere. In our new circumstances, I often feel very much dis-associated with other people or places.

My dreams.

In my old job I was living the professional dream, but I quit my job and am struggling to know what's next in that arena. The personal dream of being a mother is outside of my control and remains elusive.

When these things are stripped away...career, job title, place of residence, possessions, associations, dreams...who am I? That is what I am asking myself these days.

Without these things - who are you?

Just Sheri, (apparently) experiencing an identity crisis