Each one of us has multiple selves we’ve grown out of and into through the years.

Sometimes, I imagine my younger self and current self passing by one another without recognition. The differences too vast to believe or admit they’re one of the same.

Other times, when I’m daydreaming in audio and color, I see my older self whacking all the rest of us in the head with her purple polka-dotted purse as she bellows, “Get over it already! Life’s too short for all this clutzing around!” 

I like to believe, though, eventually we’ll all end up at the same party, clinking glasses and making peace.

Welcome to Carvings on a Desk

My midlife self’s new place for writing the stories down

My name is Julie Jo Severson.

Well, at least it has been for the past quarter of a century. Since the day I traded in my surname of Czechoslovakian descent—shared by my eight lovely siblings—to marry a kind-hearted, LEFT-BRAINED, sports-lovin’, Scandinavian-rooted fella.

During recent chapters (of my invisible manifesto), I’ve embodied the self of a former PR girl turned freelance writer and nostalgic, overanalyzing mom of three—who feels a particular kinship with those who’ll slip off their shoes despite a few holes in their mismatched socks.

Except for hosting her big family Thanksgiving and a slight obsession with dimmer switches, this current self has little patience for most things domestic. Case in point, for seven years she secured her daughters’ Girlscout badges onto their vests with a stapler. She also realizes she’s talking about herself in the third person again. Time to refocus.

Peeking out from behind a curtain

I laugh at myself and with others easily. Because, you know, the daily drudge is packed with all kinds of
silly nuances that crack me up.

But, truth be told, I’m more comfortable peeking out at the crowd from behind a curtain. And while I’m there, it’s the beauty of the soft-spoken story, often dimmed in the shadows of those in the spotlight, that leaves a lasting imprint on my soul.

Stories smudged with L’Oreal lipstick

I think more and more these days about what sort of mark I’m leaving. Especially upon the still sparkly desktops of those three ragamuffins ( “Teen 1,” “Teen 2” and “Teen 3”) for which I’m most responsible.

♦Which of their childhood moments will leave a lasting imprint?

♦Which of their mother’s selves will they feel most connected to or resemble? They can take their pick, but I pray they’ll find one to lean on when needed, despite all my foibles and flaws.

My moments and marks are no more spectacular than the next person’s, but together, they form a narrative to which my children and their future selves will forever belong. And I’m doing my darndest to preserve the stories and smudge ’em up with love, laughs, and my favorite L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick (which usually ends up on my teeth at some point in the day).

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