In today's post I'm borrowing an idea from my fellow blogger and all around nice gal, L.G. Keltner of Writing Off the Edge. Back in May she asked her readers to do something I found quite titillating - namely, she asked us to describe ourselves in one sentence, with no limits as to how many words we could use.
Intriguing concept, right? How often are we asked to encapsulate all our thoughts, our aspirations, our strengths and weaknesses, in short, everything which makes us unique individuals, in just one sentence? Unless you're coming up with a profile for an online dating site or crafting a tagline for yourself for some arcane purpose, my guess is "never."
L.G. got the ball rolling for us by writing of herself, "I am a geeky writer, wife, and mother who doesn't have her head in the clouds because it's out there amongst the stars." Which is a brilliant self-descriptor, though she fails to mention she sports a glorious mane of titian locks that I'd kill to possess. (Don't worry, L.G., I'm not gonna scalp ya. For one thing, I don't know where you live. For another, as I've said elsewhere, I'm lazy as hell.)
My answer to this challenge, which I posted in her comments section, was "I'm a sleep-deprived lunatic, self-medicating through her mid-life crises with chocolate and cabernet sauvignon, while freaking out over how she's going to pay for her son's college fees starting next month (next week!!!)."
This clearly shows what I was going through then, and still am: money and life worries that I cope with by treating myself like shit. Lovely. Well, in the back burner of my frazzled mind is the thought that I have to take better care of myself because no one's going to do it for me, so, you know - baby steps to a better me. I'll either get there or I'll leave a chunky corpse that's three shrouds to the wind.
On a better day, I'd describe myself as follows: "I'm a compassionate, sensual, and creative soul whose work will bring pleasure to many." That's better, right? More optimistic, anyway.
So, how about it? In the comments below, describe yourself in one sentence, however long.
Go on, then - I dare ya.
Good to know that my hair is safely mine (for now at least). Right now I can describe myself as follows: I am a frazzled mom who is so busy taking care of others and frantically trying to make something of her writing that many of her personal needs seem to be falling by the wayside.
ReplyDeleteI must do something to change that. Money is always an issue for me, but hopefully one day it won't be!
Good luck, LG. And take good care of those locks for me! (Just kidding.) ;-)
DeleteRighto.
ReplyDeleteI'm a husband and father, rocker and roller, sometimes a right out of controller with a penchant for words, music and a tendency to be over generous (sometimes a fault my wife complains), also I always believe that people are inherently good and circumstances change their behaviour and perspective, that viewpoint can sometimes affect me detrementally!
"...a right out of controller..." - Dig it! :-)
DeleteI'm a left of center Deadhead, dreamer, animal lover, loyal friend, craft addict and photographer living with the love of my life and grateful for a new lease on life.
ReplyDeleteThat's the best I could do off the top of my pointed little head. lol
And that's pretty well done, JoJo!
DeleteOK, let's give it a go:
ReplyDeleteI'm a semi-century-aged work in process; a multifaceted writer-in-training; a musically-inclined quasi-reformed-Deadhead and guitar-blues aficionado; a moderately-geeky electrical engineer; a loving and frequently-doting husband/step-father/grandfather; a neo-nerd well past the point of attempting any shallow-trend-following to try to be cool; a knee-jerk smart-ass who sometimes gets overly-flippant; a complex and conflicted introvert who still loves people; and a long-winded question-answerer who is apparently too fond of semicolons and hyphens.
I heart semi-colons and hyphens too. :-)
DeleteHey, I could think of worse things to medicate oneself with than chocolate and a glass or three of cab! :)
ReplyDeleteWow one sentence...okay here goes...
I am a middle aged child who will never grow up to the point that I stop believing in magic, a person who isn't perfect and is a fairly decent sort despite being a bit temperamental...a person who loves creativity and helping other people in whatever way I am capable of doing so, but who has finally learned to take care of me too without feeling guilty about it.
Nice one. :-)
DeleteInteresting post Mina - yeah I could write a par about myself that made me sound great and one that made me sound generally crap. I suppose I am an adult who has the mental age of a 15-year-old half the time, hence no adult warning on my blog!
ReplyDeleteThen you're more mentally mature than I, as I typically feel myself as emotionally the equivalent of a 12 year old (and physically, of an octogenarian). :-)
DeleteOooh what a great idea. I don't have time to think about mine now (and I wanted to comment something before I run out of time) but will try and come back. Loved your second one - much kinder - although chocolate is obviously compulsory!
ReplyDeleteClaire, you're quite right about the chocolate. :-)
DeleteWhat a fun idea! I'm a sleep-deprived writer, mother, cinema manager and film reviewer who tries to pack 36 hours of stuff into a 24 hour day without much success despite large quantities of strong espresso.
ReplyDeleteMan, I TOTALLY know where you're coming from, re: the coffee ODing fail! I think I need a caffeine IV drip! :-D
DeleteI'm a man that has reached middle age, is still single but hopeful, and am comfortable with my mediocrity while still holding onto the dream that someday I will be able to afford a house where I can sit on a porch and play banagrams with my friends.
ReplyDeleteForgive me; I had to look up "Banagrams" - at which I believe I'd be a complete failure, as I already struggle with Scrabble! But I'm totally with you on the "house with a porch" thing, though I'd like my porch to face the ocean. :-)
DeleteThat's a really cool idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bibliophile who lives within daydreams and only ventures outdoors for work and food.
Hah, I totally "live within daydreams" too! :-)
DeleteI m flawed, funny, and fabulous, and my fat doesn't deFine me.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I had to highlight that last F. ;) LOL
It's all about baby steps!
Brava on all that amazing alliteration! :-)
DeleteI tried not to read the other comments because..well..I didn't want to be daunted by their brilliance ;)
ReplyDeleteHere we go:
I am a Bleu eyed, blonde haired, big boobed, Mid Ohio Mama living on the PNWsiiide with an eye for photography, a passion for education, a love for dark humor and sarcasm and a dream of a morning that I can sleep in ;)
Just one morning? God knows, I'd sleep in every day, if I could.:-)
Delete