When we first met Lissy Ryder in Jen Lancaster's novel Here I Go Again, she didn't know who she wanted to be. She was still focused on who she had been. Her high school days has been her glory days, so why should she want to be any different than she was in her teens? During the course of the novel she learns that if you stay who you were, you'll never become who you are supposed to be. And who she had been wasn't that great.
"No matter what happens next, and whenever I choose to open the box, I believe I'll have come through this experience a better me. I'm not so enamoured of the whole Lissy Ryder persona I've been putting on for so long. She was shallow and mean and self-involved. She wasn't something anyone (outside of a villain in a teen movie) would want to aspire to be." Page 296
I've tried to go back to high school in my brain and figure out who I wanted to be when I grew up. I don't think I knew. I think I mostly wanted to be more comfortable with myself and have more confidence, but I wasn't really sure what that looked like. I still don't think I know what that really looks like. Life continues to surprise me and that changes things. Ten years ago I couldn't have told you that I'd be doing many of the things I am doing now or how I'd think about things. My life path is twisty and I never quite know what's around the next bend. I think that's a good thing.
I think that Lissy learned the importance of change in the book. Yes, her changes were quite large and I certainly hope that I don't have that much of a personality swap ahead of me. I feel that small changes are important and that with each change I don't change who I am, but rather I become who I am supposed to be.
Who did you want to be when you were in high school? Who do you want to be now?
BlogHer Book Club Host Karen Ballum also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.