Games

Thanks to Gina for giving me some blog fodder via this meme:

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog for the rules.

My middle name is Ruth. It recently occurred to me that I didn't know exactly why. It's Dame Judi's given name and also my paternal grandmother's. Plus, given the deep Christian roots of the family, it could have been for Ruth in the Old Testament. Dame Judi confirms that I was named for her, but since she was named for the OT Ruth, that sorta applies, too. (Although I'm pretty sure my paternal g'ma went to her grave thinking it was for her. That'll be our little secret).

Retro. I like older things, fashion from the 40s and 50s, music from the 80s, International and post-modern design. Which is not to say that I don't like anything about contemporary culture because that's just not so. But I find that my tastes tend to be informed by that which has an air of the "classic" about it. During Bloody Mary Tuesday ChouChou said, "By the way, love the skirt, love the pearls, love the red shoes, love the hair...it's all kinda Donna Reed but in a good way". That made me really happy.

Useful. I'm a pretty smart cookie. I make important contributions to my family, my church and The Child's school. I have good ideas, a fair amount of energy and I like the idea of making things a little bit better than they were before. I don't like dwelling on what doesn't work but on creating systems that will. It comes in handy.

Truthful. I rarely lie. And not only that, but I'm usually not afraid to say out loud what everyone else is thinking. I'm not afraid to challenge a friend who needs a fresh perspective. Sometimes that makes people uncomfortable but more often than not they are grateful. Fortunately, I also have enough wit and humor that I can usually speak the truth without being an unmitigated arse about it. And when I am an arse, I'm truthful enough to realize it and say I'm sorry.

Happy. You've probably figured this out about me already but my basic philosophy of life is that not only is the glass half full but the wine isn't half bad. I don't have a lot of patience for people who constantly focus on the negative. I'm not naive about challenges but I just don't see the point in whining all the time about how bad everything is. There's too much good in the world. I prefer to spend most of my time celebrating that. Plus, I have a good life. I've been blessed. I have a terrific husband, a great kid, a cute little house, wonderful friends, health and energy.

Yesterday wasn't a great day. I felt overwhelmed by a list of obligations, by the expectations of others, by things that weren't going the way I wanted them to go. But I still went to bed last night grateful for my life and all the little joys in it. Life ain't always perfect. But it's good.

Now I have to tag a person for each letter so I pick Buck, Seattle Coffee Girl (who'll hate me, what with all that new baby stuff and all but blog fodder is good. That's what I'll tell her anyway), Nicole and Dana.