A
The About page...the most narcissistic page on any website. Here we get to gush about ourselves, but using third person pronouns to act like we didn't write every single word ourselves. Ha! So I figured I'd slice through the pretense and tell you about myself plainly and vulnerably. I realize I am a public person, and the rest of this site bios my professional life, so this is a sincere get-to-know-you based on attributes, not accomplishments or activities. I had loved ones come up with five or six words to describe me. Most of them said the same thing in slightly different orders.
Junior
Spiritual
My loved ones named this attribute the most. At 14 years old I repented of my sins and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Everything. Easter 2018 was twenty-five years of knowing my Lord, learning His ways and building a life on that born-again foundation. Life in Christ has not been tidy or Clorox clean or Super Easy Street, but it has been supernatural, transformative, and even more wondrous than I initially imagined.
silly, goofy
This was probably the #2 most mentioned trait. My relationships also described me as silly, playful, goofy, jovial, or happy. People and life are really really really funny if we tune in to the immediate. Irony, sarcasm, and metaphor are everywhere. The worst funny bone for me is a boring church service. I start noticing anything and everything about anyone and everyone.
fierce, intense
Some friends quickly described me as fierce, intense, bold, fearless, determined. Facing and overcoming deeply-rooted fears in my early to mid twenties is a large part of this. Those background ghosts simply are not there anymore. It is impossible to walk closely with the Lord longterm and remain imprisoned to deep fears. The two presences cannot coexist longterm. My favorite anti-fear scripture is Proverbs 28:1.
cuddly, warm
Maybe this is from growing up with golden retriever puppies and two sisters? Hehe, just kidding. I'm sure nature and nurture are both responsible. Affection and expressed warmth are wide gateways to intimacy and fulfillment. I have never known a frigid or taciturn person that was also genuinely happy -- never, not once, among all the people I know and meet.
adventurous
After a very difficult early adulthood, I began appreciating the adventure of my existence much more. I fell in love with newness, second chances, uncertainty, healthy risk, edgy experiences, raw humanity, even levels of discomfort, that brought greater illumination into myself, my Lord, and life in general. Not living a fishbowl life. God designed life to be a mysterium and imaginarium, not an aquarium.
gregarious
Interestingly, my relationships that are the youngest made this my main trait. I think anyone can be interesting if you can elicit a conversation or experience with their deeper self, bypassing looks and status and social skills (or lack of) or any other preliminary connection point we often look to. In recent years I have balanced my social butterflyness with a bit more contemplation and seclusion.