A Week of Love - Five Things I Love About Myself

 

Five Things I Love About Myself

I love my name. It's my heritage. It's my identity. It's my brand. And I struggle with the notion that one day, I am supposed to just up and change it. So, I like to think of it as keeping my main name but adding a few nicknames to the bunch. My real name is Virginia -- a title I didn't introduce to my repertoire until moving to Manhattan in 2007. Before that, I was mainly Ginny. I share my middle name, Lucas, with my dad. And who wouldn't love a last name that is a homophone of heart? ;) Most of my family calls me "Gin" but with a southern twang thrown in, giving it two syllables. Other nicknames include: Little Gin, Ginster, Skippy, Luke, G, Gin Bucket, Buc, V, V-A, Virgie, & Little Lady.

I love my hand-eye coordination. Let me begin by first saying that for the most part, I lack all typical motor skills and coordination. I am constantly running into everything around me, tripping, spilling, falling, you name it! I spend the majority of my time looking like this. But I do believe I have a strong hand-eye coordination, if that's what it's even called...it's what has allowed me to play piano, field hockey, tennis, and actually beat Patrick (sometimes) in ping-pong. It's what allows me to type with never glancing at the keyboard. It's what allows me to look at something and draw it, a skill that I think God has blessed me with for a reason. (I realize this skill isn't unique to me, but it doesn't make me any less thankful.)

I love my imagination. Likely resulting from a combination of reasons, I have developed quite the broad imagination.  I attribute it mostly to my childhood spent on a farm entertaining myself with my pets and imaginary friends. I spent an entire year drawing a family of cat-people for crying out loud!  My older siblings constanly read to me, took me on intricate treasure hunts in the woods, told me stories of fantasy lands, and made Santa a sacred tradition. I am truly thankful for an imagination that prevents me from ever experiencing boredom. (I don't get people who get bored.)  Also, it's comforting to think that no one can strip me of two things: my beliefs and my imagination.

I love that I am in touch with my emotions. Patrick asked me the other day if I could cry on demand. I stepped out of the room and came back crying and he stood up and hugged me and begged me never to play that game again. As much as I wish I had a future career in acting (move aside Claire Danes and your quivering chin), I know it's just because I am in touch with my emotions. Probably too much. If I think about something that is sad, whether it's sad for me or for someone else, I can move myself to tears. Same goes for something that is truly good & happy. For example, people should warn me when they're calling to tell me they're engaged or preggers because I usually terrify anyone in the vicinity (poor Patrick) by my reaction. I don't remember the specific incident, but I was in trouble as a kid and my mom sat me down and told me that I needed to think long and hard about how someone else felt in that situation. I am constantly wondering how others are truly feeling especially as a result of my words or actions. It's like I never left timeout. As hard as this can be sometimes, particularly if I'm dealing with people who might think differently, I've discovered that this quality can shatter my wall of shyness.  And if people choose to open up to me, they'll realize I genuinely care.

 

I love that I am my own friend. The future, in a sense, terrifies me. As hard as it is for us to admit, we have no control over how certain things unfold...and there's a possibility that we will end up alone for a part of our life. And, by golly, it's scary to think! The only fact that brings comfort to those fears is knowing that I am my own friend. I can take care of myself, I can laugh at myself, I can feel whole by myself. I would be fine. So yes, I might be a total nut job...and I might cry too much and my imagination might get the best of me...but I have & value my own friendship. I guess you could say I love myself.

 

*I found it easier to think of things I could complain about or say that I "hate" about myself. Acknowledging five things you love about yourself is harder than it sounds. I dare you to try it. I think we can all benefit from this little lesson. If you do, please share with me what you love about yourself!

until next time,

g