June marks the halfway point of the Who I Am project, a writing exercise I created to help you tell the pieces of your story. It’s not too late to begin – jump in anytime! You can link up with other writers at the end of the post, or simply write for yourself and the people you love. This month’s topic is “Betcha Didn’t Know.”
I’ve written about many of these things before, because blogging often equals oversharing. Yet these small tidbits are glimpses into my life and my personality that tell who I am. If my future grandchildren ever want to know about Grandma when she was younger, these are the things that I would share with them.
Betcha Didn’t Know…
I played in the Handbell Choir in college. I held bells F and G, which are pretty important bells. Fortunately they are fairly low on the scale, because…
…I have a high frequency hearing loss in one ear. I had my hearing tested every year when I was a kid to make sure it didn’t get worse, but the last time I had an exam was in college.
I created two logic puzzles that were published in a puzzle magazine, and was paid $50 for each of them. Remember those puzzles where you made a grid and x’ed out combinations that weren’t possible? Jane sat to the left of Joe but to the right of Suzy, who sat next to Bob… that kind of puzzle.
I have always wished I could sing; I would love to be on Broadway. I wanted to be Annie, Diana in A Chorus Line, or Eponine in Les Miserables.
I never cheat when playing games; I am too competitive to win unfairly or throw a game. I never even let my kids win in Candyland, a fact that has either made them more resilient or scarred them for life.
In college, I spent a week in Jackson, Mississippi rehabbing an apartment complex, and ten days in Mexico helping fix up an orphanage. Eye-opening and life changing.
I don’t pick up a penny if it is tails up; that is one of my few superstitions.
I had four baby teeth and six adult teeth pulled to make room for the rest of my teeth when I had braces in middle school. The silver lining was that I had plenty of room for my wisdom teeth, which came in perfectly straight.
I was salutatorian of my graduation class in high school, or as Gwen says, “second place valedictorian.”
Clown dolls freak me out. Actually, most dolls freak me out.
I had a kick-ass sticker collection when I was a kid. Particularly impressive was my collection of puffy Smurf stickers.
Betcha didn’t know I still have my sticker album!
My back is extremely ticklish. It’s so ticklish that if you were to place your hand a few inches above the center of my back, I would involuntarily pull away. Massages are a challenge.
When I was 22 years old, I won a $1000 shopping spree from Macy’s. The only thing I remember using it for was a Jones New York pantsuit that was a staple in my work wardrobe. I think I bought a vacuum cleaner, too.
I didn’t eat the cheese on pizza until I was about ten years old. I’m still not that into cheese, but I’ll eat chocolate all day long.
I cannot drive stick shift, or parallel park. And if I’m in the passenger seat, I can fall asleep in under five minutes.
As I was writing this, I realized that all these facts make me look like a big ol’ dork. But they also make me real and human, and that is what I want future generations to know about me. I’m more than just the smiling face that will stare out at them from a photograph.
Cool, I think I missed this one! I loved logic puzzles. Not sure if I ever mentioned but I used to work for Dell Puzzle magazines and the logic puzzles were my favorite, though we mostly did crossword puzzle books. Weird thing about me, related to your back being ticklish–the bottoms of my feet are not ticklish, but the tops are. I think most people are the other way. Oh, and dolls and clowns freak me out too. Clown dolls are the worst. But I’m probably most freaked out by people who don’t like cheese. 😉
Very funny! You can have all of my cheese. I do remember you mentioning working for Dell when I wrote about the logic puzzle in another post – I think that would be a great job!
Clown dolls are the WORST. They should all be banned from existence.
Logic puzzles are my absolute favorite. You can keep your Candy Crush, Angry Birds and even crossword puzzles. I just have to know who is married to whom, which house they live in and what color car they drive. The challenge is everything! I loved this prompt and the opportunity to find out what makes people tick.
Ha – we are birds of a feather, Mo! I resist buying logic puzzle magazines because I would be good for nothing else for hours and hours.
You’re a regular-sized dork, Dana, with a high concentration of dorkiness per cubic inch. That’s the best. They made puffy stickers of dinosaurs, too, but we boys didn’t take them to school.
I’m so getting in this tomorrow!
I’m glad you’re joining us, Eli! And I suppose if you’re going to go dorky, you may as well go all in, right?
Eponine was one of my favorites, too! Learning to parallel park was a necessity because I went to high school in the city and the only ‘parking lot’ fit about 20 cars. I can’t imagine being so ticklish. If we ever meet in person I’ll try to make sure that I don’t get you there!
I’d appreciate that! 🙂 My husband used to be an expert parallel parker because he had to do it in front of his house, but lack of practice makes it tougher to do. I just never really had the need, so I never perfected it.
I am jealous of your white gloves. And I knew your back was ticklish – but now I wonder how I already knew that. We must have talked about massage in comments at some point or something. Also, I still have some stickers from when I was a kid. Shhhhh.
We can trade! I probably mentioned my ticklish back before. I tend to repeat myself, because I only have so much interesting stuff to say. 🙂
I’ve been slacking on the prompts! I’ve always wondered what the purpose of wisdom teeth were. So did you get to keep yours since there was space for them? I had eight wisdom teeth. My dentists was so excited because it was something he’d only heard of in dental school and it’s rare. I had four oral surgeries to remove them two at a time.
I can drive a stick but I failed the driver’s test the first time around because I was using a stick for my test and could not parallel park with it. I was so nervous my leg was shaking and you can’t have a shaky leg with a clutch.
I did keep my wisdom teeth – they’re just hanging out in the back of my mouth.
I have never in my life driven a stick shift!
So not a dork! 🙂 I do love that you put up a picture of your sticker album. What a treasure!
I know – it makes me smile. Sadly, the album dedicated to the puffy Smurf stickers is no longer around.
Wanna know what stuck out to me the most?!? That you are not a huge fan of cheese!! like that is mind blowing to me. I could eat cheese all day long and never get sick of it!
I knew I’d get at least one cheese lover’s reaction to my lukewarm relationship with cheese! You can have it all, and I’ll eat chocolate.
Now that’s funny because I didn’t read this as you being dorky. Just lucky. Winning a $1000 shopping spree to Macy’s? Brilliant. Having your teeth pulled? While perhaps a weensy bit dreadful at the time, it was very clever. My son had a similar tooth pulled count and we managed to avoid braces for him. Mind you, every time we went to the dentist for his cleaning he’d say at least ten times on the way there “You’re going to tell her it’s not a good day to “wiggle” a tooth, right, Mom?” And your trips to Mexico and Jackson? Awesome. Yup, you’re lucky. And I’ll wager it’s all due to not picking up those tails up pennies …
I’ll wager you are correct, Kelly! Sadly, I did need braces despite the teeth pulling.
I’ll also take lucky over dorky. Let’s see what you say when we meet in person…
Love that you are documenting so much – what a great treasure for your family! I too enjoyed my sticker collection! I love that you went to Mexico to volunteer. Next year two of my kids are planning a volunteer trip and I know it’s going to be life changing for them too.
It will – isn’t it wonderful to see your kids do something so amazing?
Dorky?
Not at all.
I find all of this absolutely fascinating! x
Thanks, Kim! I’ll take fascinating over dorky any day.
“I realized that all these facts make me look like a big ol’ dork.” Hehe, this made me giggle. I could relate to many of them (and I often feel like a big ol’ dork.) Your thing about the back reminded me that I was going to write the same thing — if I even sense someone is going to touch my back I start twitching. And I used to love doing those logic puzzles!
Seriously, Bev…our similarities are uncanny. You’re my favorite 🙂
You are not a dork! Good Lord, I love all these tidbits. Now we know where Gwen got her brain. $1000 at Macy’s, at 22? You must have felt like you won the lottery.
I really did! And I only bought larger ticket items, because I didn’t want to piddle away the money on shirts and sweaters.
Halfway already?? How??
Scarlet asked me today about my childhood collections and I remembered my Archie comics and my Troll dolls, but not my stickers!
I haven’t parallel parked in AGES and I only tried stick shift once. It didn’t go well.
I suppose I’ll have to write my own post!
You should! I didn’t have comics or Troll dolls, but I did collect shot glasses for awhile! That was random.
I love finding out all these little tidbits! I remember reading some of these before, but some are new to me. I think I wrote a “Random Things About Me” post a couple years ago. I’ll have to go dig it out! 🙂
They are fun to write, aren’t they?
How cool that you were in a handbell choir! When I was younger, my dad directed a handbell choir, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever 🙂
It was cool, at least to me!
Heheh I think I remember you mentioning about your tickly back before, once or twice. But I’m always glad to know more about you, my friend. I especially like that your priorities for life are such that winning a $1000 spending spree, you didn’t even commit it to memory 🙂
I’ve sucked at doing these! I’m tempted to get back into it but then I feel as though it’s not complete because I’ve missed a couple.
I’m an overthinker, but I’m guessing you knew that already 😉
I did – takes one to know one! Jump in anytime – it’s not a project that has to be “complete.” No pressure at all.
I had a sticker collection too! But my “puffies” were of the rainbow variety. Actually, I think I still have the photo book and all the antique stickers around here somewhere… And dolls, especially clowns, freak me out too! *high five*
So it’s not just me? I think my fear started with Poltergeist, and the movie “It.” I never saw it, but I remember passing the video in Blockbuster and being scared.
Maybe we can trade stickers one day, Julia? 🙂
I played handbells in college too! I think st some point I played every one of them. From the smallest (where I started out) to the largest ones that hardly ever got used. I would do that again today if I could!
I would too – it was so much fun. I only did it my senior year, but I wish I had joined earlier. Every once in awhile I had a really small bell to ring once or twice in the song, but the F and G usually kept me busy.
LOL – we are all dorky when we start pulling out little known facts!! And oh the sticker book! I had a killer sticker collection and I so wish I had saved it. I also love what Gwen thinks of salutatorians. HA!!! #firstloser
Exactly! Our county doesn’t have valedictorians or salutatorians, so she had no frame of reference. I’ll take first loser, I guess. 🙂
Omg, you just totally brought me back as I had a huge sticker collection as a kid with all sorts of stickers, including puffy ones, scented and more. And even also had an eraser collection with a wooden shadow box mounted on my bedroom wall. Seriously haven’t thought about that in years, but reading your article tonight I totally remembered it like it was yesterday still! 🙂
An eraser collection in a shadow box? That is hilarious. You must have been so proud of that collection!