Recently, during the course of business and other endeavors, I have been asked to write my “bio”. What is it that people really want, or need, to know about me? The bios varied slightly, according to the intended placement, but they all felt rather stiff and boring. Here is the bio I should write:
Susan is keen of mind, inquisitive, emotional, nosy, bossy, has high expectations of herself and others, and so is frequently disappointed in both herself and others. Funny (mostly to herself), and enjoys dark and inappropriate humor, usually at dark and inappropriate times. Her husband accuses her of having ADD tendencies, but that is a natural result when one’s life feels like you are being spun around by your pigtails on the playground, and each spinner has their own agenda, not all being fun and games. She is a loving and supportive mother, but can also be snappy, impatient, demanding, and can vacillate between being a controlling micro-manager and not being there at all… She has a demanding job, in which some days she feels barely competent, and sometimes verges on brilliant. She is a winnower of bullshit. She loves people, and always seeks the meaning behind everything, and refuses to believe it when no meaning appears to exist. She can cry at the drop of a hat, over the loss of a hat, over the loss of a childhood picture of herself in a hat. She values honesty, truth, perseverance, humor, decisiveness, creativity, bravery. She is brave, unless paralyzed by fear. She is loyal, passionate, can be empathetic or judgmental, depending on the circumstances. She is confident, unless it is a bad day, and all seem to be conspiring against. She can’t hold a decent grudge, because she can’t remember things long enough and the details and timelines get fuzzy, but the feelings linger. Susan is learning to address those feelings in a time-appropriate manner, rather than letting them fester and erupt like a volcano. This is unpopular. Susan’s views on health, relationships, and home repairs are thus: It is better to seek and repair the root cause of a problem, rather than just treat the symptoms. This approach takes extra time, and is also generally unpopular. She likes to problem-solve, piece together puzzles, find the heart of the matter, and the heart of the person. She tries to be a good friend, but finds it hard at times to be truly kind to herself. She dreams every night, and remembers them all. She loves windy days and nights, full moons, sparkling light across the water, music. She enjoys reading books about survival, gleaning tips and cleverness, just in case. She identifies with the heroines: the Indian scouts, the sturdy pioneer women, the stranded travelers that make it out against all odds, the calm thinkers. She admires makers and dwellers of driftwood shacks and lean-to’s. She feels most at peace above the treeline, and on the sea or at the beach, places where one can smell what is on the air, and see what’s coming from all directions. All humans are complex, but the complexity can be found at differing levels. For some, the interesting part is buried deep and in layers, like a parfait. For some, it is a dish so deep that it cannot be uncovered, because one can become too full before reaching the good parts. Susan’s complexity lies bubbling at the top, like the crust of a burnt cream…sweet, a little smoky, easy to crack with the tap of a spoon. Table-side presentation available upon request. Enjoy.
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