A few days ago, I discovered a fun group sharing exercise at Cathy Dreyer’s “writeanovelintenminutesflat” blog. She referred to several other writers from our #MNINB April Platform Challenge group who were also participating in filling out a list of prompts to give a snapshot of themselves. I was instantly intrigued.
So, today, I finally found time to write up my version:
Genes/Inheritance
Lately I have been discovering new roots. All my life I’ve told people: English, Scottish, Irish, and Indian. (I have no idea what tribe. My mother said her father’s mother was an Indian, from Oklahoma, could be almost any tribe. I want think something like Cheyenne or Cherokee, maybe Sioux, but I just don’t know.)
A couple of months ago a friend had to have surgery for a joint problem in his hands. I have a less serious version of the same condition. He said, “Well then, you must have some Viking in your background. It’s a genetic thing and that’s where it comes from.” Whoa, shock. Never heard anything about that from Mom. Could it be embedded in the Indian bloodline?
Then we got hold of a genealogy chart one of my cousins on my Dad’s side of the family had worked up. I mean Pearson is a pretty obvious gene pool, right? UK roots for sure. Not so much. She found French Huguenots and Germans hiding out among the branches. It seems like we’re much more strongly rooted than we realized.
It pleases me to find new connections to the world. I’d like some Italian or 
Spanish to pop up somewhere, maybe some Zulu or Asian of some kind. With my pale skin and fine, red hair (well it used to be anyway), it’s not likely though. My heart still cries out in response to the sound of bagpipes. I have no doubt that most of my heritage is founded in the Celtic blood I’ve always known about, but discovering new background information expands my horizons.
Environment
Presently, I share my deceased parents’ house with one of my brothers, one of my daughters, and a very pregnant granddaughter. We live in what would be a small town in most areas but, since Kentucky has only two or three actual cities, we don’t feel that small by comparison. I have lived in smaller towns and larger cities. This is kind of mid-level, large enough to have a choice of grocery stores but, too small to have many good shopping places. For that we either drive 50 miles north to Evansville, IN or 100 miles south to Nashville TN.
Habits
I am trying to develop better habits, like daily exercise and finding time to write. I’ve already gotten rid of the worst of my old habits, like smoking and hanging on to bad relationships. Sometimes I think it would be good if I could develop the habit of keeping a spotless house but, then I consider how uncomfortable spotless houses make me feel and I quickly recover my sanity.
Personality
I’m definitely an introvert. I know that’s considered some kind of weirdness in today’s world. Like people who aren’t social animals have some kind of emotional defect. I just consider myself to be a private person. I have, at times, spent days alone before I had an urge to find someone to talk to. Because our house is very busy, I am seldom alone these days and the longing for solitude can become an actual physical need so strong that I spend half the day or more reading in my bedroom with the door closed.
I have to force myself to socialize outside my immediate circle. I can function fine when the conversation is one on one or even in a small group, but I have a tendency to clam up and find a convenient corner when the crowd gets large. I used to have a fear of public speaking and I still don’t like it much, but I have trained myself to do it when necessary.
Skills (or otherwise)
No sports, I’ve never played. I’m also not very good at games of any kind, not really competitive enough to have the edge. It’s probably partly that introvert thing.
I have a good eye for patterns. I don’t consider it a skill though, more like a talent. I can sew. I can make a passable meal. I used to do the whole canning and cooking from scratch thing, now I’m more likely to use the microwave than the cook stove.
I have an instinct for fixing things. I am pretty good at DIY around the house. I’ve hung doors, repaired broken windows, put down hardwood and tile flooring. I can repair a broken electrical outlet and even do plumbing repairs if absolutely necessary. I used to do the minor upkeep things on my cars when they were of the old worn out variety. I bought my first new one in 2003 and haven’t done more than check the oil since.
And one more thing (well really two I guess)
I pretty much always KNOW I’m right, but I’m trying to convince myself to be more flexible there. I don’t give up easily. If you tell me I can’t do something, then I will do it or die trying. In other words, I’m very hard-headed.
My upbringing was kind of schizophrenic. My father was a Yankee (Ohio) and my mother a Southern lady (Kentucky). He expected me to be practical and independent, she was horrified at my hoyden ways. As a result, many people think I’m rude. I just don’t have much patience for what Southerners consider good manners. All that small talk mostly seems like such a waste of time. But, after the fact, I hear her voice in my head and I feel guilty for my behavior.
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