Being myself
Last Friday was a very interesting day – so much so that most of the following week pales in comparison. I got up very early so that I could catch the good photographic light in the tulip fields (and avoid the crowds.) I made a quick web check as I was rushing around to make sure things were in good working order before I left for the day and practically swallowed my tongue in surprise.
When I really let my sense of humor out with no reservations, odd things happen so I tend to corral it more than I should. When I wrote an online personal ad in this voice I had over 200 responses in 24 hours which was nice but overwhelming. The last time I let it out at work, senior Vice Presidents at a national bank were texting me from a meeting after seeing my email on their blackberries. So maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised on Friday, but the urge had overtaken me earlier in the week anyway and I enjoyed writing something that I figured only a few people would see. The first comment to that blog ever was posted within an hour of that article going live and from the human subject of the post – you can see it here (scroll down to the first comment and you’ll begin to understand my reaction.)
The sheer odds of that happening for a blog that reached it’s peak so far of 20 visitors later that day had me grinning for the rest of Friday. And that exuberance of ‘anything can happen’ led me to take some artistic risks with the camera that resulted in some really great pictures. I do feel inspired when improbable things happen, because maybe more are on their way! Would I have written it differently if I’d thought the subject would read it? Probably, but now that he has, I don’t feel compelled to change a word. I’m resolving to let that side of me out a little more often – nothing wrong with being caught by a wave of surprise.
Isabeau on her 18th birthday
Another thing I tend to hold back on is talking about my cat. I’m not fond of the stereotype of single women with their cats so I tend to avoid giving that impression. But… Monday was Isabeau’s 18th birthday- that’s actual years so something like 126 in cat/dog years. I’ve had her since she was six weeks old so it did make me pause and reflect on what she’s seen me through (2 graduate degrees, 4 states, 3 cars, 8 residences, …) When people say that nobody succeeds on their own I think most people are talking about other people which is true enough, but the support of pets shouldn’t be discounted either. Her confidence is me means I can never really lose mine.
