Question for the day:  Do we grow into or out of our "true" selves?

I've been wondering.  Who is the real me?  Is it the shy bookworm I was in middle school?  The upbeat (on the surface) cheerleader I was in high school?  The seemingly confident mother of three I was in my 20s?  Maybe it was the driven mom who made so many life changes (bachelor's degree, divorce, master's degree) I became in my 30s.  Now I have entered new motherhood for a fourth time in my 40s and am approaching it in a new way, along with the very distinct possibility of moving and teaching overseas. 

So do we ever know who we truly are?  You may laugh at a joke when you're out with your friends, but privately think that it was the dumbest thing you've ever heard.  Suffering from that wanting to please mentality is something we all do to some extent.  Many people bemoan that fact, but is it really so bad to please people, as long as it's not at the expense of your own well-being? 

That's the real conundrum, I guess.  It's typically me that I've just jumped right into the deep end without even getting my feet wet.  I'm sure I won't keep up with this blog the way I should (although I really do want to), but maybe healthy competition with Jon (my husband) will ensure that I do. 

Breakdown of my life right now:

Mom to four (B, girl, age 20; T, boy, age 17; M, girl, age 14; A, girl, age 2 months)
Born-again hippie (sort of) - fan of cloth diapering, breastfeeding and homebirth
Wife to Jon (we got married at Tropicana Field, one of the coolest days of my life)
Middle school English/History teacher
Wannabe travel junkie
Book hoarder
Aspiring forensic linguist (someday...)

Up at 5:30 every day, baby A in a mommy only phase :(, my mind completely consumed with the opportunity I may get to take advantage of soon.  More later.  Bye :)