When young, author Heidi Patullo bought into the labels donned on her: smart, pretty, talented and "Miss Perfect", and for several years her choices, both academic and personal, reflected a fierce dedication to this identity. Superficially, it worked. And yet, even as a young adult, Patullo knew it was for show...merely a veneer of perfection and excellence and certainly not her chosen identity.
A born pleaser, she dismayed over disappointing those whom she felt counted on her being the woman they believed her to be. And so she maintained the many "acts", downplaying and silencing her own personal need to become the "truest" version of herself. Ultimately, however, when she found the courage to make the heart wrenching choice to split up her "perfect young family", she sent a message, loudly and clearly, that all was not as it appeared. Or, certainly, not in her personal world. But she'd only just begun. To act out. And to grow up. This middle-aged mother and teacher would need several years to get it right. Nevertheless, she was determined to become the genuine--and genuinely happy--woman she longed to be.
Anyone and everyone could see she was imperfect. She handed that to them.