Instinctual - I always go with my gut instinct and make quick decisions based off of those feeling, that is if it feels right. Sometimes it will feel wrong and I will simply not make that decision. I have found that following my gut has lead me into many great situations and opportuinties. While backpacking up the west coast i never made a plan of where I was going. I only projected basics of what I wanted out of my adventure to the "universe" for lack of a better word, and waited until the opportune moments to make my instinctual and intuitive decisions. It ended up being one of the best summers of my life, even during the rough times when the doubt would seep in and I would wonder what the hell I was doing so far away from home. All i had to do was to remember to trust my gut and like clockwork I would end up in a better situation than the days prior.
Kind - I always belive in the people, and the random occurances you experiance with them on a daily basis add up to each and every moment you will ever have through out your live. Each experiance is a building block from the next. Which is why I try to be as kind as possible to everyone encounter through out my travels. You never know who you might end up meeting and what the meaning behind the encounter may be. It might be as simple as good conversation or as life changing as minds colaborating on inventing new technology. When I moved to New Orleans I didn't know anyone from the city. I would spend my days off walking around the Quarter hearing the heart beat of the city; from the distant street artists playing classic N.O. tunes, the loud chatter of the laughing people pouring out of the bar,and the sirens of the local police speading down Canal St. I started to meet a bunch of cool new people, one person in particular I especially remember because of their kindness to me. They gave me a bike which completly and for ever changed my experiance in the city. I was no longer confined to the Quarter and riding the Street Car. I was able to bike to some of the most beautiful parts of the city "off tha beatin path". As time went by and I became a seasoned resident of New Orleans I meet someone who had just moved to the city and could hear the same excitement in their voice that i once had. I remember the bike i had stored in my back yard that a good friend once gave me. The same bike i used to adventure through the city I had now fallen in love with. I Could now return the favor of kindness that someone once showed me. Ever since I have always tried stay kind with all of the people, you never know the possitive effect you can have on somebody, or vice versa.
Animated- From the way I speak when I am passionate about something. Everytime at a good show I become animated when I'm dancing off rythym just a minimal amount. Becoming alive with the day or night. With too much energy to deal with sometimes I am almost forced to be animated. It would just be a damn shame to waste all of the werid creative energy. This past summer when I was living and working in the Bakken Oil Field I was blessed to have the opportunity to park my newly bought camper van on a 1000 acre farm. Living with horses, cows and a gaggle of praire dogs all named TJ on a pasture over looking a stream that lead into a large fishing hole. I dug a large fire pit with the help of my friends and we got the camp properly set up. Over the summer we would have bon fires and listen to music until early hours into the morning, howling at the full moons, going on coyote chases. It all reminded on the daily how alive I was, a true primal feeling of being alive and animated!
Eccentric - I have always been on the weird side of life, just becuase I have found the weird side to be a lot more fun. Always have I been dancing to my own beat of the drum. With a strangly unique style, flow and demeanor, I carry myself through even stranger experiances. Sometimes when going to party's and shows I will wear my monkey suit, well more of a monkey onesy. I am consitanly making up my own weird songs and random noises. I used to think I was disconnected and different for the longest time untill one day I realized that anything in life can be turned around. No longer feeling disconnected but now a found connection to everything in this world. All help of my weird side and all of the other weirdos out there!
I thought it would prove more of a problem writing how these words will have an impact on my writing style but now i sort of see how they play a part. Though I don't think my writing style will be limited to 4 words. I have long way to go to be able to incorperate all of my experiance in to my unique writing style and developing voice. If it as simple as relaying the passion and excitment I was feeling during the experiances I guess it shouldn't be too difficult.
This is great, Pete! Thanks for the thoughtful reflection on your personal characteristics! You have so many interesting stories. What a fascinating life you have led! I can't wait to read more. I also appreciate the last paragraph where you acknowledge that you can see how these words will impact your writing style. My only question would be, how, exactly do you see them playing a part in shaping your style? If David Sedaris is sarcastic, witty, and all the other qualities mentioned in discussion and we can see this in his writing, how will your eccentricity, animation, etc. show up in your writing? How might it drive your progress in this class and in our class discussions? How will these qualities influence how you work as a student? Just some things to consider! P.s. Do you really have a monkey onesie?! That's fantastic.
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