As I was thinking about the images that I could use to describe myself, I found myself having difficulty finding things that I was comfortable using as symbols. I think I have a pretty good sense of the kind of person that I am. I know what makes me tick, what makes me mad and what I can do. I am not always very confident in those things. I find myself struggling with my abilities, not with the things I believe about myself, but my ability to carry them off. When defining myself, I decided to look at the things that are most important to me and use symbols to convey those things.
The most important thing about me, to me, is that I am a very outgoing person. I love to be around other people. I enjoy directing and organizing and helping others to achieve something great. I thought about myself as a cat, but decided that cats are too much loners for me. They pick and choose the people that they will associate with and that choice changes all the time. I am not like that. I thrive around all kinds of people and only shy away when feel threatened or judged. I chose instead to identify with a Golden Retriever. They are beautiful, graceful animals that are active and love to be around people. They do what it takes to please those around them and are active all the time. The one word I could think of to describe a retriever is faithful. They stick by their families at all times. They are also faithful to themselves. They retain the things they have learned and work hard at whatever task they are performing. I believe that I am very much like this. The opposite of this faithfulness is a snake. It is sneaky, hiding and will turn on anyone at any time. It slithers on the ground, not wanting to be seen by others. It does not call attention to itself or try to improve the area it is in. It stays in the shadows, watching and waiting for an opportunity to strike out and destroy whatever strikes it’s fancy.
I chose the color orange as most descriptive of me. It is not my favorite color. Yet it suggests vibrancy and activity. Orange is the sweet color of fruit, the warm color of the sun. It is heat and motion. It draws attention to itself. It is the color used to warn us of construction or change. I am always moving, wanting to be in the spotlight. Sometimes even to my detriment, wanting to be the center of attention. Orange is a creamsicle that satisfies you in the hot sun, and a sweet yam at Thanksgiving dinner. The opposite of this is grey. The dull, drab motionless grey of low hanging clouds. Grey drags down your spirit and dulls your senses. It robs you of the life that you are building up inside. It is like the inside of a prison or the old feeling of dull paint.
Finally, I am water. Fluid, always moving, flexible and refreshing when it’s cool. Water can be scary and vibrant though when pushed by the strong winds of a storm or out of control when flooding an area. Water is necessary for life. I want to be fluid and refreshing and when I am in control, not overwhelming. I strive for the control necessary for being a positive influence on those around me. Is the opposite of water really fire? Fire is fluid, moving flexible. It doesn’t care where it’s going or what is in its way. It can be as destructive when out of control as water is. I guess that’s a thing to ponder.
