Shya’s Personal Journey to Success and Healthy Living

Man, that title sounds pompous, don’t you think?

Certainly does to me. I’m not exactly the type of person that formal labels and titles apply to, or at least, I always feel pretty damn uncomfortable when they are presented as fact. I’m the most down-to-earth, positive, helpful person I know… but I wasn’t always like this. And I’d like to be even better than I am now, which is where this blog comes in.

If you've just arrived and don't know who I am, here's the basics: My name is Shyanna, I'm 31 years old, and I live in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. More about my journey to this Frozen North will be told in a story later. Here we go.

Over the years, my struggle with labels has led me to some very weird places. I’ve sought out many different paths to discover who I am, and found myself on some twisty ones, some straight and narrow (I always thought that meant focused, but recently changed that to understand it meant “narrow minded” instead), and some that had huge gaps.

I have self-diagnosed as manic-depressive, addicted, an alien from another planet, synesthetic, and most recently, as living with Asperger’s Syndrome. The truth is, I hate labels.

I know mostly what kind of a person I am, but trying to understand WHY I am the way I am has caused me to try and succumb to the lure of using those labels to TELL people who I am. I would rather use adjectives such as smart, funny, unconventional, creative, sensual and emotional, rather than tell people “I have Asperger’s,” or, “I’m an addict,” or, “I’m a Synesthete,” or, “I’m a pansexual”. The assumptions based on their perceptions of those words would skew their perception of who I am, and that upsets me.

Many people like to say, “Don’t care what other people think, be yourself.” While this is a good way to live for some, I care greatly what people’s perceptions are of me. That conflict, to be myself while trying not to confuse people, or to be properly understood, makes me feel like my mind and soul are being pulled in two different directions. Letting go of these self-made labels is tough. The glue is pretty sticky, so even if (and when) these labels are peeled off, a reminder stays behind.

This blog is my journey to figuring out the metaphysical glue-remover of my life, and being myself, out in the open, for all to see. To see me, accept me, though  not necessarily understand me, are what I want to find from those around me. We'll veer from serious, to silly, to interesting, to things that will make you think, because I'm unconventional, emotional, sensual and weird. That's part of the fun though, isn't it?

“Cuz I’m a Gypsy.. Are you coming with me?

Come along for the ride..”