In an effort to avoid writng a letter of recommendation, I'll revise (sort of) an old facebook post.
25 things about me:
1. My parents and two sisters are probably the only people I am 100% myself with. And while I'm happy and blessed to have such a relationship with my family, I'm also sad that I'm not this way with more people.
2. I would rather be run over by a car than eat a jar of olives.
3. I have reason to believe that I skipped second grade because I was too tall, not because I was too smart.
4. After living in the Lutedome for four years, I find it very difficult not to make eye contact and smile at everyone I pass on the streets--everywhere.
5. I seriously contemplate moving back to Portland about once a week. I don't regret coming back, but I do regret leaving (which likely only makes sense to me). I felt that in Portland I could grow up into the person I've long aspired to be. Plus, you can recycle EVERYTHING there, and that makes me happy. And they have vegan tattoo shops there. Who knew?
6. Sometimes I cry when I'm happy.
7. It was a life-changing moment when I became conscious of the fact that my parents had childhoods too.
<--This is my dad's college football photo :) (It’s a remarkable revelation the moment you become conscious of the fact that your parents had childhoods too. They’re real people. This happened for me about a week ago as I sat on my parents’ couch in the house I still consider home. I was surrounded by my mother, father, and his mother and father. Grandma, in her natural tendency to bring us a package of random mystery items had—as rarely happens—extracted from her box a true treasure. As my father gently took the three inch stack of photos from her feeble hands, my mother and I both inhaled a deep breath of anticipation. This, I knew, was going to be a treat. What I did not realize was that this was the birth of a newfound appreciation for my parents as people.)
8. This may be hard for some to believe and easy for others... but sometimes the only thing that can make me feel better is to say "fuck" over and over again.
9. I once vowed to never use a red pen to grade papers and will never break that vow.
10. I cannot fathom having a more important job.
11. I will one day marry Hugh Jackman. I don't care that he's already married and lives thousands of miles across the ocean. Doesn't matter.
12. I love cooking and baking. Sometimes I bake because I'm craving something sweet. Sometimes I bake because I'm bored. Sometimes I bake because I feel like surprising my English Department buddies with goodies. Quite often I don't even eat what I bake... I just give it away. In fact the white board in our staff room reads "Meghan will always bring food for us. Always." Thanks, Adam.
13. I like to support small businesses--even if it means I pay more for something.
14. I live for word games and puzzles, but I hate the crossword puzzle in the paper.
15. I have way too many nicknames. If someone yells, "Hey, Redshorts!" in the airport ten years from now, I guarantee that I'll answer.
16. I don't know how to smile naturally for a camera (or maybe I just refuse). This is one thing that drives my mother crazy.
17. I don't eat meat. A few months ago I ordered a veggie burger from a Burgerville drivethrough(another reason I contemplate moving back to Portland) and waited till I was cruising on the freeway to open it up and take a bite. It was a turkey-bacon swiss burger. I ate it anyway, and it was delicious.
While I was in Chile, though, I probably ate more meat in those 12 days than I have in the last ten years put together. Yuck (but actually, it tasted really good!).
18. I feel creatively stifled at work. So sometimes when I come home I knit, crochet, paint, draw, make jewelry, or even just color to feel normal. Other days I just sit down on my couch and watch NCIS reruns until bedtime.
19. I have waaaay more pairs of shoes than any human being could possibly need. But when I go through and pick out a few to get rid of... I just turn around and buy a few new ones. It's sick.
20. I don't like to wear jeans, but I don't know why.
21. I taught Spanish to a ridiculously fun group of kids a couple years ago, and I remember it as one of the best periods of my life even though I had no idea what I was doing.
<--these are some of them :) 22. I wish I didn't have to write things on the back of my hand to remember them. Sometimes I write it in code so no one else will know what it means--but then I forget what it stands for. 23. I once locked my keys in the car three times in two days. That was back when I had the '71 bug--just after my dad fixed the little side window so I couldn't just pop it open and reach for the lock. (He had to drive out to PLU all three times to get it open for me. Sorry dad.) This was also Spring of my Senior year during the week of my second capstone presentation. Good times. 24. I thought about writing something about or to twenty five of my friends in this note... but then I decided against it because I'd be crying by the end because I love you guys too much to not get all sappy. So instead I wasted a loooong time trying to come up with twenty five things about me that y'all hopefully don't already know. Anyway... only one more. 25. And it's a big one. I believe that the life of a Christian should be an adventurous one. There are too many Christians who have decided that Christianity is just going to church, walking down the center aisle, turning right at the third row, and sitting in the first and second seat every Sunday (not bothering to be touched by the words, music, or fellowship). They’ve concluded that this is enough. They’re good Christian people if they do this minimum requirement—maybe even tithe steadily and shake a few hands on their way in and out of the sanctuary. But that’s not what a Christian is called to do. A Christian is called to lead a life of faith! It’s called a life of faith because we don’t know what daunting task God has around the corner for us. We can curse it (or God), ignore it, say it’s from the Devil, or acknowledge that whatever it is—good, bad, scary, fun, exciting, or crazy—it’s meant to happen to us. We MUST take that leap of faith, learn to trust God, and jump head first into whatever task he puts forth to us. I believe it happens in my life so often to simply teach me how to TRUST God. I go back to that scene in Indiana Jones: the Last Crusade when Indiana has to step out onto the invisible path stretching across a huge ravine in order to get to his destination—the holy grail. As cliche as it is, that’s the epitome of how a Christian SHOULD live. We so often have to close our eyes and step off ledges—not concretely knowing that He’ll reveal that once invisible path, nor hoping that He’ll reveal it, but having faith that if it is his will, He absolutely will reveal it to us.
