25 Things

This past week I discovered a Meme that I wrote back in 2010. Little did I realize a lot of it I also wrote about in my posts. So… if you want to know a bit more about me, here are 25 things about Me:

1. I believe I have a unique personal philosophy. I only wish I could share it with more people.
2. I am the only person in my immediate family who is left handed. Strangely, I play all sports except pool right handed. I also taught myself to use chopsticks with my right hand.
3. I am usually shy around strangers. I have forced myself to try and be more sociable, but tend to fall back to being a loner when I am stressed.
4. I have never lived outside of Illinois. Excluding moving into the dorms for college, I have only moved three times.
5. Sometimes I wonder how many people I have influenced in my life, and how big that sphere of influence is. I tend to think that many people are more out of sight, out of mind and forget about you when you are not around. But I also am pleasantly surprised when people remember me fondly.
6. At last count I have over 60 nick-names. One I picked up in high school was Groucho— anybody remember why?
7. I love to cook, but never considered myself to be a great chef. I admire those people who can make something out of the odds and ends that you have around the kitchen. I also admire those people who know how things taste and can make great combinations of flavors.
8. I have discovered that I do not just listen to music. I found that I listen to music many different ways at once: As a musician, as an educator, as a singer, and as a sound engineer.
9. Exacto knives and I do not get along. I once cut the tip of my finger off with one. I sliced my knuckle another time just removing the blade.
10. When I was in first grade I wanted to be a plumber when I grew up (I really don't know why). When I started high school I wanted to be an electronic engineer, then a historian, then a music teacher. Now I am glad I found a job that I like and I can feel that I am productive doing it.
11. I share a birthday with John Lennon and my grandson. I also dated someone who was born on my birthday— no I didn't date John, or my grandson (though sometimes I do date myself).
12. I love to give, but sometimes I hesitate because I don't know if what I am giving will be well received.
13. I am not a world traveler— in fact I have never left this country. I would like to go someplace far away like Australia, or Japan.
14. I used to say that I don't want to be famous, but rather well known in my field. Sometimes I think that I would rather have people know me well, than have many people know of me.
15. I noticed that I have many different laughs. When I am really laughing hard, I laugh so hard that nothing comes out.
16. I am so glad that I met my wife. I know that I would be lonely without her.
17. I am proud to know that I have a family who loves me. Even though the children are not my biological offspring and I met them when they were teens, they still love me all the same.
18. I find that I am a conservative who lives in a liberal city and state. Perhaps that is why I avoid politics in conversations.
19. Even though I have been a Congregationalist and a Methodist, I tend to think that my spiritual beliefs are more Zen in nature.
20. I love all the seasons for different reasons, but I tend to like Fall and Spring more than Winter and Summer.
21. I jump into Lake Michigan on New Year's Day.
22. I am glad that I have friends. Sometimes I tend to forget that I have them, so forgive me if I don't say how much I appreciate your friendship enough.
23. Even though I live in a big city like Chicago, I am glad that I am close enough to be able to go to the beach and also go to the woods depending upon my mood.
24. I am surprised how long it originally took for me to come up with these 25 things.
25. I know that everybody is multifaceted. So often we think we know somebody well, only to discover that there is something about them we never knew. I hope that I gave you a bit more about the "me-ness" of Me.