Who I Am - Chapter I

Hi all,

My last post (My First Meme!) seems to have resonated with a few of you, along with myself as well. Memes are intriguing to me. For some sick reason, I get a kick out of reading - and answering - them. Depending on how well they are constructed, they can provide some illuminating insights into the participant's personality. And indeed, this latest version gave me cause for self-examination.

Additionally, it was enlightening to discover - through your revealing commentary - how you see me, based on my answers to the meme, as well as previous posts and my comments on your blogs. And so it was, that I became concerned with the possibility that I may be skewing your perceptions of myself a tad too far from actual reality.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I like a healthy facade of anonymity and mystery. Mom used to have a saying: "familiarity breeds contempt". Mom had lots of sayings, a few were not as negative as this one. Here is a more "upbeat" saying of mom's.



Though somewhat cynical, there IS some truth to the "familiarity breeds contempt" adage. And I certainly cannot bear anymore contempt than you've already shown. I'm kidding of course! For the most part.



So please allow me to correct the course of perception to one that is more accurate. The first thing you should know is that I love music, and I enjoy playing musical instruments. Here are a couple of guitars, and an amplifier, that I keep in my office.







I take pride in the way that I live. And I am not ashamed to admit that I like nice things.






I am pragmatic, and I do realize that, try as I may, not everyone is going to have the same appreciation for me as you - my loyal readers - do.







But, do you know what? It doesn't matter to me what my detractors may think. I believe in myself. I have worth. I am a good person. I am in tune with myself. Heck, I even cry on occasion. How many of you can remember the last time you cried? I can. It was during a very emotional and symbolic "Dove Release" at my cousin's wedding.






I am glad that - despite being a man - I have never turned my back on my tender, compassionate side. Sure, there have been times during my gradual and prolonged transition from childhood to maturity, where I have encountered disillusionment.



But I have never allowed these cruel revelations to cast a permanent shadow over me.

I have a big heart for my fellow man and all living things.

If you know me at all by now, then it should be apparent that I love animals, so whenever I am asked to donate in order to help an endangered species, I am always eager to jump right in and contribute.







I am a hopeless romantic. I really do enjoy candlelight dinners, and making love with a partner (ideally) during a thunderstorm. And though I don't always have the stamina of a young buck, and tend to tire easily, I still love to take long walks on the beach.






Thank you so much for letting me into your hearts, and for taking a little piece of mine.