Please allow me to introduce myself
One of my daughters has suggested / demanded that I put together a who am I post. She has a degree in media and marketing and feels that it would be beneficial.
I remember the last time that someone asked me to “type up a bio”. It was about ten years ago and I was between beards at the time. I had to take boards and didn’t want it to be a point of unfair judgement. Now, I wouldn’t care. Accomplishment undoubtedly builds confidence and can be quite liberating. Maybe some of that just comes with age too.
Below is the bio that i put together for work some time around 2013 -2014.
I had a feeling that it would be a while before anyone actually read it, so I just quietly turned it in and waited… As I said before, it’s been ten years since anyone has asked me to describe myself. I’d call that a victory.
Sharing about one’s self can be difficult. It makes one vulnerable. Particularly if one has a delicate psyche or is dependent on positive feedback from others. It makes one vulnerable. My hang up has never been about that. The primary reasons that I have been sparing in my sharing are twofold. (1) It has seemed important to maintain some degree of privacy and to have a personal safe space. (2) I don’t want listing my accomplishments to come across as haughty or bragging, because that’s not me. With time, I have come to realize that others can learn from our experiences, and that perhaps, we have a responsibility to share them. I have also realized that we can’t control the way that others perceive things. So f^<% it. Here we go…
Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery… Dammit! Old habits die hard.
Take two…
What makes us who we are? Nature? Nurture? I can say with confidence that both contribute. When you have children and watch them grow, you realize that there are some traits or tendencies that they were just born with, “good”, “bad” or neutral. One’s environment and experiences absolutely contribute to their world view and perspective. Both nature and nurture contribute to making the mold that produces the person that we will ultimately become, but it isn’t simple or linear. It is a dynamic process and we continue to develop throughout our lifetime. There is an intangible, poorly defined factor (as far as I know) that helps some people defy both nature and nurture to completely redefine themselves.
I was born in rural New York. I had an Air Force up bringing until my mid teens, at which time we settled in south Georgia. Here I finished high school and met my future wife. I joined the Army out of high school on a whim due to a general lack of a sense of direction and guidance. The Army was a great experience but it wasn’t ever part of the long term plan. I was an M1A1 tanker for three years, and then transitioned back to civilian life and started plugging away at college. My wife and I enjoyed each others company a great deal and we couldn’t afford cable tv, so we started having kids relatively early by modern standards. They just kept coming and soon we were overwhelmingly outnumbered. Single. Twins. Single. Triplets.
We both plugged and chugged our way through college. I got a job at the local hospital and worked my way up to being a tech in the emergency room. I tried to struggle against it for a while, but medical school proved to be my destiny. My wife got a nursing degree, which helped keep us out of debtors’ prison during medical school. Emergency medicine was my first love, but surgery became my bride. Or bridle. After training, we settled in northeast Tennessee.
I had two dads and I have had two names, one of them twice. One mom. Four siblings.
I am a work horse. I am a practical intellectual. I am a smart ass. I am caring and compassionate. I refuse to be dependent on the praise and accolades of others for my happiness. I believe in grace and forgiveness. I believe in personal accountability. I cherish a home-based life. I have a fierce sense of wanderlust at times. I am a staunch realist but I also believe in the power of positive thinking. I love the concept of self-sufficiency, but realize that it isn’t practical for me to obsess over it. I believe that we have a responsibility to work the land. I’m a do-it-yourself foodie. I love community but I also need time alone. I believe that we all have a higher calling and destiny, but that we can actively participate in shaping it. God and family above all else. I am a work in progress.
It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance!
