Behind the Blog 20: Transformations

Behind The Blog is a meme to help bloggers connect their life and interests to the content showcased on their blog. The co-hosts Faye Kathe and Melissa will provide a different topic, idea, or question every week that bloggers can relate to themselves and the books, films, or media they find interesting!

This week's theme is Transformations

As we head into Fall, with the leave changing all around us, the trees becoming skeletons of their former selves,I’d like to think about transformations. How have you changed or transformed in your life? What parts of yourself have you left behind?

In relation to books/media: Who are some characters that undergo major transformations (figurative or literal?)

Fall is my favorite season for so many reasons. I love the cool, crisp air, the rain, Halloween, back to school time (even though I'm not in school any more) the scents, the colors of the leaves as they change, the list could go on and on. Another reason I love fall is because my birthday happens in fall. It's like a personal new year's celebration. I think that every birthday is like a persons own, personal new year. So in addition to New Year's in January, you get your own personal new year whenever your birthday is (although I suppose this won't be quite the same for people who's birthdays are in January and December.)

What I mean is, your birthday gives you the chance to start fresh with your new year of life, to transform yourself. 

I have changed a lot in the last few years, although I'm still me at the core, there are things that are different.

 I stick up for myself a lot more than I used to. I used to just go with the flow, and just do whatever everyone else wanted to do and this lead to people walking all over me or taking advantage of me (A  lot of the time, I still try to go with the flow, so I can be flexible.) But I realized that I was starting to get mad at myself for not making my own choices. And I felt like I was missing out on things that I really wanted because of  it.

 I get mad more often. It might not seem like it, but this is actually a good thing. I'm a born people pleaser, to a fault sometimes. So, rather than rocking the boat or making people angry, I usually keep my thoughts to myself. Not a bad thing, really, but then I have times when things finally tip to the edge and I've had enough, and my emotions just explode all over the place. I've been told it's quite shocking when I get angry like this because I'm so mild mannered most of the time. Getting angry more often, and not even getting angry, but simply voicing my opinion when it may not be the popular one keeps me from bottling things up so much.

I've started to care less about what people think about what I like. When I was younger, everyone had one thing, that they really loved. Almost to the point of obsession, but it was more like a deep passion. A friend of mine in high school was crazy about various boy bands (And she still is to this day) Another friend was a baseball  fanatic. Me, I didn't have a passion that I absolutely loved, like they did. There was reading, or course, that's a lifelong obsession, but I didn't really have a group or band or artist or show that I was obsessed with.

But, in my early 20's I discovered Charmed. And I was hooked. I will call myself certifiably obsessed with that show. I've watched the whole series, in order, all the way through at least 7 or 8 times. I watch random episodes when they're on and there's nothing else on TV. I've read and own several of the books based on the series. If there were more merchandise still available, I would buy it. I can quote lines, I have favorite scenes etc.

For a long time, I hid the fact that I loved Charmed so much because I didn't want other people to think I was weird for liking a show about witches and magical powers and all of that. Now, I don't care who knows. I like the show because its' a good show. And the message of being a powerful woman appeals to me. Anyone who wants to think I'm weird for liking it, go right ahead. You may not like it, but I do. And that's all that really matters. We only live once, so I might as well like what I want to, without fear of being judged.

These transformations aren't so much physical, as emotional or mental. Though I have thought about cutting my long hair, and I've contemplated getting a tattoo someday. They've been necessary, and even welcome. Sometimes these are conscious changes, and sometimes they just seem to happen. I don't think there's a certain time, or way to go about transforming yourself, it's a constant process. You're always transforming, into your self of the future. You will be a different person than you were 5 or ten years ago, at every stage in your life. And that's okay. Change is a good thing. As long as you stay true to yourself, you don't change just for other people, and you don't change in radically drastic ways that will make you terribly unhappy, then transformation is a good thing.

Books and Media Tie in:

As far as characters who've undergone major changes go, it goes without saying that Harry Potter is definitely a character who needs to be mentioned. He goes from a boy who gets abused at home by family who considers him an inconvenience, to a powerful, loved, respected, yet still down to earth wizard.

Since we're talking about Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom also deserves a mention. He goes from a timid, forgetful, meek boy to a confident, loyal and brave man at the end of the HP series. The quote that starts  Neville's transformation and sums it up perfectly is this:

It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.

And, as a last, albeit odd media tie in, I'll tell you about the transformation that inspired this topic in the first place. That's Snoop Dogg's transformation to "Snoop Lion." He says that he wants to bury his Snoop Dogg persona and be reincarnated as "Snoop Lion" He's making an album called "Reincarnation" which focuses more on reggae style music than his usual lineup of rap music.

This just goes to prove my point that we are always changing, and will not be the same person in 5 or 10 years that we were. Or, apparently for some of us,  the same species of music persona.

I also have to thank my sister for helping inspire this week's theme by telling me about Snoop Lion's transformation.

We'd love to have you join us for Behind the Blog!

If you're choosing to join us for Behind the Blog don't forget to link up your post by using the Linky list below!

Are you joining us? Here are our rules:

• The hosts' Behind the Blog posts go live at midnight on Friday, GMT+0:00. Feel free to post before that, just link up on Friday! 
• Feel free to make use of the button shown above, or if it clashes with your blog colours e-mail us or make your own.
• Read, write, and connect! The Linky is there for you. Make use of it!
• Last but not least, have fun!