Wednesday, May 9, 2012

36 Years of Perpetual Fence Sitting


I am turning 36 and depending on your source, half of my life is over.  With this realization I asked myself, “what have I accomplished and who am I?”  In societal terms I am a progressive, educated, and contributing member of society.  However, who I am today was shaped by where I came from.  My early years were rough through family transitions, but I was fortunate to have wonderful people raise me on a farm that valued education and taught me to believe I could accomplish anything.  Moreover, I was raised by/with an eclectic bunch that were conservationists, farmers, hunters, golfers, cyclists, anglers, botanist…and the list could go on.  I didn’t understand social class or cultural boundaries, for I could learn and do anything I wanted.  Although these values have enabled me to switch career paths and embark on many adventures, it’s been a struggle.  You see the problem is I am a perpetual fence sitter.   I have the belief I can do anything and was able to bounce around in my childhood with new activities like a pinball machine.  Don’t get me wrong I had to finish what I started, but I was soon enthusiastically chasing the next squirrel, or butterfly…hey wait, was that a hummingbird, I wonder where they are from, what they eat?   And this led to my lack of commitment in my leisure pursuits.  Sure, I appear to be good at a few things; however, the truth is I don’t commit and really never have.  It’s taken me 36 years to accept this about myself.  I am married to a man and run in a social circle that is highly committed to one activity and for that I applaud them, but it’s not me…and I’m OK with that.   What I have is variety of random knowledge and love of learning, go ahead ask me anything!  I am also athletic enough to jump in just about any activity (exclude height related sports) and have fun.  Therefore, I am no longer making it a goal in life to commit or apologize for my fence sitting.  So, next time you ask me when my next race is, what my favorite food is, or my political party affiliation, you probably won’t get a definite answer.   I do; however, vow for the next 36 years to explore all my curiosity, travel the world, and be in good enough shape to join in any sporting invite and have fun.  Cheers to many years of proudly fence sitting…

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