Simply A Salute

I know most of you are connected to your pen name. You created them to be the person to say everything about yourself that you can't.

I created Jessie Lyric Phoenix about a year ago. When I began this blog my pen name was Panda Wallflower. Not much depth. Just things I liked. But then there was a change in the stars. I needed meaning. An explanation of who I really was. I needed a change.

An example of who I wanted to be.

A love for who I was.

That's when Jessie Lyric Phoenix was born.
sound a bit like Margo Roth Spiegelman?



Jessie - The Master Builder, Leader, Confidence, Organization.

Lyric - Musical, Dependable, Hard-Working.

Phoenix - Independent, Ambitious, Inventive, Strong-willed, Reborn.



This is the best way I can describe myself.

The thing is I don't really know who I am and who I'm going to be.

So I asked the people closest to me what they think makes me who I am. And this is what they said:

"Probably.. The fact the you're not afraid to be yourself - you're proud of who you are and every decision you've made. It's that inner strength and headstrong-ness, I think."

"Your ability to pouch through hard times."

"You say what you think when you think it. That's pretty noteworthy to me. :)"

"Your creativity."

"Well you're very independent and somewhat free spirited. :) You just go your own way."

"Your past experiences and your genetics."

"Your values and interests and the people you choose to spend your time with? Everything you do makes you you."

"You're persistent and mysterious."

"Well I think your love of music, your friends, and the way you look at and interpret life. But I can never tell you what makes you "you" because who you are is what you want to be, and what you want to be can change from day to day, short term, present, and long term. Who you are isn't something you can determine in a day. It takes a lifetime."

"You're detail oriented."

"Your sarcasm, and you have good judgment of character."

"You're not afraid to be yourself and you don't care what people think about you......you're brave, beautiful, caring, funny, etc....."

Hopefully I explained myself well enough. If not my posts are where my heart is.

See Jessie Lyric Phoenix is someone I created to be who I couldn't upfront. Like most of you did. But it's been long enough where I became her.

Before I was her my depression controlled me. I was never really happy, and I cared way too much about what other people thought.

But Jessie took my hand, cleared my head, and made me want to live.

This is less of a goodbye to Jessie and more of a salute.

She taught me how to be everything I wanted.

She taught me to be the real Makenzie Kristine Stratford.
Though I do prefer just Kenzie.