Most frequently asked question, “Why did you move to San Diego?” Friends? Family? Neither. The truth. New beginnings. Second most frequently asked question, “Do you like living in San Diego?” YES. “Why?” The people. “What is different?” They are kind. Compassionate. Welcoming. But, in all truth, I believe it’s also me. I am looking at life through different lenses. You’d think it would be colorless. Less focused. Isolated. But it’s not. It’s brighter. Clearer. But something else has changed. Me. I am different. I’ve tried to put my finger on it. And I think I finally figured it out. It goes back. Way back. Probably back to when I was a child.
I was shy. As a child, I held up my hand for people to kiss me. Don’t get too close. The walls were up. Brick. Glass. Hard. Protection. If they didn’t get close, they couldn’t hurt me. As I got older, people judged me as reserved. Cold. Snobby. I was not. Never. I was scared. Afraid of getting hurt. Lacking self-esteem. Did Not Believe In Myself. Gregger did. He pounded it into my head. I just didn’t get it. He’d tell me I could do anything, be anything. He tried to convince me I was worth more than I made myself out to be. I never believed it. I believed him. Just not “it.” I tried. I’m getting it now. I wish I could tell him. But I think he knows. I hope he does. I hope he knows what he did for me. Gave me the strength to be “me.”
I was always somebody else’s “something or other.” “Nancy and Buddy’s” daughter, “Greg’s wife,” “Adam, Ryan, and Ashley’s mom.” I never really thought about it until now. Growing up, it was, “who are your parents?” Living in Scottsdale, it was, “What do you do?” I was either, “Greg’s wife” or the “kid’s mom.” We owned the businesses, but they were all Gregger, not me. Don’t get me wrong. I loved my roles. I loved who I was. I just never realized, I was never just me.
But moving to a new city, I was just Mikki. No background. No baggage. No walls. Whatever I handed out was up to me. I wear my heart on my sleeve. You know that. I don’t hide. My thoughts. Emotions. The good. Bad. Ugly. Sad. I tell it all. So I’ve put it out here too. People see me for me. I tell my story. And then I move on. A new beginning. The walls have come tumbling down. And it feels so good. Thank you Gregger. For teaching me. For loving me. For believing in me. I carry you in my heart. Every. Single. Day.
