WHO ARE YOU?

Bet you've never stopped to think about it:

Who are you?

I often like to use the line, "do you have any idea who I think I am?" in a joking matter, but truly: who do I think I am?

In 25 words or less, can you tell someone who you are? Can you do it in 25 pages or less? Does it get easier or more difficult with more words?

I once had to write a short autobiographical paragraph. This is when I began thinking about how to describe myself. If I began, "I am" -- then the question is: I am what?
I am 58. But when you hear it, you will hear that through the filter of what "58" means to you, and I tell you this through the filter of what "58" means to me and the sentence tells us nothing except I decided to tell you my age, which in and of itself, gives you a little information.

If I say, "I am a woman," or "a rabbi," or "spiritual" -- these are all labels that we understand differently. Labels are for jelly jars. (I first heard Rabbi Barbara Aiello say this,http://www.rabbibarbara.com/)

For me, the best way to tell you about me, is to tell you things I love and things I don't. For example, I love dogs, rainy days, wild winds, time in my study, watching movies in bed with my beloved, sleeping with dogs (which I can't do if I want to watch movies in bed with my beloved.) I hate crowds, loud events, mean spirited people, complainers. Now, do you begin to get a feeling about me?

My son posted 25 sentences about himself on Facebook. I am not sure why. And if I ask, he will suggest that I am "Facebook Stalking" -- to which I would reply, isn't that what FB is, a sort of voyeuristic stalking site? He said such things as this about himself:

1. I am an assistant pastry chef with aspirations to become a baker.
6. When I was four, I fell down a flight of concrete stairs. I was inside a sleeping bag at the time.
9. The only thing I don’t enjoy eating is licorice.
10. One of my goals in life is to travel the world and eat.
14. I traveled to Paris for a total of 3 days.
17. I like my coffee black
18. I have never lived in the same house for more than a year.
20. The potato is my single favorite food.
21. I am an avid film buff.
24. Right now, I have a greater variety of tea than food in my apartment.

I don't know why, but my favorite statement he made is #24. This one resonates with me the most in knowing him.

What 25 things would you write about yourself?

WHO ARE YOU?