Wednesday, November 12, 2003
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Wednesday, November 12, 2003 |
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When you're not exactly who you think you are, or are you? By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Have you ever found out that you aren’t the person you think you are? I know it’s a weird question. Perhaps it would be better to say, have you ever found out that people don’t see you the way you think they do? For example, I always thought that I was an affable, outgoing gent. I assumed that I was very personable and approachable and despite the occasional smart mouth or burst of curse words, I was, generally, a pleasant person. Apparently, I’m not. Recently, I’ve been told, by more than one person - so it really makes me think they might be on to something - that I was very...serious (Gasp!). I know, they must be wrong. I mean, they’re talking about the guy that wrote about animated bumpkin’ monkeys. I’m not serious, I’m fun! I like Weird Al Yankovic and Spongebob Squarepants. I giggled at “Elf” more than the kids in the theater did. I like laughing and I sing to myself, typically several times a day and it’s almost never a Carpenters ballad. Though admittedly I do love “Rainy Days and Mondays.” Where did these people get the idea that I was this serious, dour person? Maybe I used to be, but not anymore. I haven’t listened to my Smiths or Cure albums in years. I no longer sit in the dreary basements of coffee houses and write pining poetry to no one in particular. I’m happy. Honestly. I have a great wife, a good job, a house, three cats that I like O.K. (for the most part), a supportive family that lives close by, food on the table and a great tv system. Plus, I have lots of friends, I’m involved in the community and, as far as I know, I have no real enemies. But, maybe I am more of a straight laced person than I thought. A lot of my college wackiness and hyperactivity has ebbed. I’m no longer as manic as I once was. This is probably O.K. I mean, no one was saying I was a stick in the mud, though that’s the way I took it. I think that it was probably a good thing that I found out that people saw me differently than I saw myself. Every now and then you need a different perspective. I can’t possibly be the only person with this problem either. Perhaps you have an entirely different problem and think that people see you as this boring person, when really they think you have a dry wit and interesting things to say. I suppose the only way to solve this problem, and it’s really not that much of a problem, is to continue to be yourself and try to look at yourself in certain situations. This doesn’t mean that I’ll hang out at parties by a mirror but maybe the next time I find myself standing in the corner at a party, I’ll be putting a lampshade on my head. PS: I want to use the remaining space to give a shout out to the Creative Writing Club at Huie Elementary School in Forest Park. They invited me to join them at their meeting last week and after talking about the joys of writing, we had cookies and that juice that comes in the plastic bottles shaped like barrels. They also had me sign autographs on the copies of the newspapers that I brought. It is not often that I get to feel like a rock star, so thanks. Remember, keep writing every day, even when you don’t feel like it. Especially on those days when people make you feel like you’re this ogre, who can’t smile without faking it and only likes things like liver and math problems. |
