Here's 25 pathetic, silly,
embarrassing but true things about me. After you read these will you still think of me with the same utmost, nearly majestic, regard that you have now? Oh, no.... shoulda thought about that before I hit "save".
1. Everyone called me Orphan Annie when I was little so I hated my red hair.
2. I prefer horror, sci-
fi, and cartoons to romantic comedy and drama.
3. I dropped out of college at age 20, put my education on hold, and moved to Ecuador alone to be a volunteer teacher.
4. My greatest memory in the Amazon was helping a family understand their suicidal daughter wasn't burning in hell, as the local priest told them, but was resting peacefully. (They tearfully gave me two papayas as a "thank you" gift.)
5. Oftentimes I prefer the company of animals and children to adults.
6. My espresso addiction is almost as intense as my running addiction, and I have no desire to change either.
7. When I was 24 I almost died of typhoid in the Amazon and had to return home to recover.
8. The disappointment of returning home nearly killed me, far more than the typhoid. (I still grieve over the loss of that epic of my life.)
9. I started crying as I wrote No. 8.
10. The smallest, simplest pleasures in life mean the most to me, bringing me delicious, light-hearted joy.
11. I thrive on challenging banter, laughing a little too loud for acceptable society, and entertaining with ridiculous stories.
12. My license has been suspended twice this year because I've been too overwhelmed from my car accidents to stay organized with even the simplest things.
13. I derive essential life sustenance from nature- hiking outdoors, breathing in the smell of the woods, flowers, lakes, oceans, mountains, wind, rain, sun....
14. I was given the gift of being an artist, yet am afraid to sell my paintings for fear I'll lose the ability to paint.
15. I love to run. It grounds me and reminds me that I'm an invincible warrior.
16. I'm terrified that I won't recover enough from my car accident in October to be an invincible warrior again.
17. When it rains I open every window and door in the house so I can hear it, breathe it, feel it.
18. I miss banging on the piano to Rachmaninoff, Mozart, and Beethoven. It's a violently-beautiful creative release.
19. I love my niece and nephews so much it hurts; and am angry at my brother for being a selfish father.
20. My dog, Otis, is ridiculously, embarrassingly precious to me.
21. I've become paralyzed when it comes to accounting of any kind. I can't balance a checkbook. Bookkeeping turns my red hair gray.
22. My greatest desire is to be a positive catalyst for others; I go to far greater lengths to help a friend than I do to help myself.
23. I'm addicted to slingback, 4-inch heels, colorful scarves, handmade jewelry, and hair clips.
24. I have more lovely little black dresses than I'll ever have occasion to wear. (darn it!)
25. I'd drop my career, home, and possessions without a second thought to become a flowery bohemian and volunteer teacher again. (I'd keep one little black dress though- probably the perfect, strapless, A-line Audrey Hepburn one- though it doesn't "travel" well.)
(**as a side note- I swiped dog heartworm tablets from my parents' veterinary clinic to kill jungle parasites 12 years ago - and they worked!)
How can 25 things "sum you up"? I guess for today it'll do. Maybe tomorrow it'll change.
