what you see is what you get

there are a few things people will immediately know about me if we’re in the same space at the same time. and you will discover upon closer inspection that these things are pretty much always true. i’m a pretty transparent person. what you see is what you get. but people who are coming to my blog for the first time because they saw me on twitter or instagram might be curious about me. i’m sure this post will help.

first of all, i like to smile. as my homie buddy the elf said, smiling’s my favorite. what can i say, i’m a happy person. and when you look outside at the beauty all around you (or inside those around you) how can you not be happy?

i’m a serious nerdy, geek. i breath technology and superheroes and fantasy and science fiction and science. yes i wish i really had super powers. yes i’m in love with superman. yes i sleep with my gadgets. yes i daydream all the time. yes i secretly want to be a noble prize winner in theoretical physics. no i don’t know what that is! but i watch dr. sheldon cooper all the time so i’ve practically earned it already.

too much social interaction is equivalent to punishment as far as i’m concerned. when i was younger, my mom would send me to my room when i got in trouble. after a while she realized the true punishment was making me sit in the living room with the family. i’m not a loner but i truly enjoy spending time by myself. there are books to read, arts and crafts to make, stories to write, dances to choreograph, movies to watch and daydreaming to do. i can entertain myself. it’s something people don’t get but i will turn down social interaction in a minute to enjoy quality time alone. on the flip side, i’m fully present and engaged when i’m being social because i love people.

sitting still is hard. i’m not fidgety, but i like to be on the move. once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader. i dance and jump and skip around like a kindergartner on the playground. and why not? it serves me well in the energy department. after working a full day, going to meetings and commuting home, i still have energy to play. there are people decades younger than me who can’t hang. sucks to be them.

everyone has an opinion and they say we’re all entitled to one. i am known for speaking my mind. over the years i’ve learned how to share with compassion and grace. sometimes i fall short. mostly, people know that i like reasoned, accurate debate. i tune out unreasoned arguments and i call people out on their bs. i’ll blame mrs. henry, my debate coach, for that little trait.

loyalty and integrity are paramount values in my book. i can’t stand disloyal people and i want nothing to do with those who lack integrity. nothing else to say.

i’m a worker bee. i don’t like being in the spotlight but i truly enjoy setting others up for success. twice during my college years, i was prophesied to about my personality. the first time the minister said i was like a setter in volleyball. i don’t get the point for the spike but i set players up to score. the second time the minister (different minister) broke down my name proclaiming me a nourishing well and said i have a wisdom that draws people to me. ok, i have to say both things are accurate. i love helping others succeed (as long as they are putting in work). people who pretend to work while taking all the credit make me angry. you might be able to fool some people with your distraction tactics but you aren’t fooling me. about the second part, so … yeah, people are always asking me for advice or sharing their heart with me even if i have no first hand knowledge about a topic. i’m going to chalk that up to a ministry i walk in unofficially. i lowkey have the gifts of wisdom and knowledge so it makes sense but it’s still kind of freaky sometimes.

i’m a natural leader. i have been called bossy a lot. and sometimes i am bossy. sometimes i make a decision and go with it. sometimes i get input. sometimes i take charge in a group. sometimes i sit back and let someone else lead. no matter what my role, i serve. i guess it helps that i like to get my hands dirty. i enjoy being in the weeds and i enjoy dreaming in the clouds. i am a visionary and strategist at heart. i like to say i have the best of both worlds.

mornings are the worst. i don’t like waking up. it’s not because i’m tired. i just really like sleep. i mean, really, sleep is awesome. amazing. fantastic! i could sleep for hours and hours every day. naps upon naps upon naps. sleep is great. i can never get enough. and that’s why i think mornings suck. sure mornings represent new mercies, new joy, new opportunity and so forth. but they also mean the end of glorious sleep.

food was meant to be enjoyed. people who eat to live suck all the joy out of food. i don’t like them. to each his own, but please eat your tasteless, fatless, joyless bland food in silence. i don’t want you distracting me from admiring and enjoying my delicious, juicy turkey burger, succulent pork chops or divine peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. stay away while i devour my bacon roasted brussel sprouts or butter garlic green beans. only food lovers should be allowed to speak about food!

my life and experiences are an open book. i have no problem sharing my life experience with you if you can be trusted with my story. not everyone can be trusted. i learned that the hard way. if you like to discover peoples’ weaknesses and then use them against them, you can go play in rush hour traffic. only a miserable and insecure person is going to try to bring you down to push himself or herself up. sigh. i pity you.

aw i think that’s enough disclosure for one post. in the beginning i said there were a few things people know about me after spending a little bit of time with me. i am the same all the time. consistency is a huge value for me. like love language value. i wonder though, if my list rings true for those who know me. isn’t it funny how our perception of self is not always how others perceive us? that can work in our favor, or to our detriment. either way, i’m pretty sure what you see is what you get from me day in and day out. but you are free to be the judge of that.