7. The Way I View the World

If you were to ask someone "where are you from?" the answer is generally pretty standard. "I'm from Seattle, or I'm from California, etc." They generally talk about their homes with love and affection. Then they ask you where you are from. You could generally say anything. I always say I'm from Kansas. I've found that people generally aren't really interested in knowing that you've lived in 11 different locations. Nor are they interested in knowing that you have lived for 6 of the past 10 years outside of the country in Europe. The longest I stayed in any one spot has been three years. That was the longest time I stayed in any one home. Not many people are interested in that. They just want a nice simple and concise answer. Kansas. That was where graduated from high school. If someone wanted to ask me questions about that place or who lives there I could sure tell them a thing or two. That's all they want. But this in itself can open up some fun oppurtunities.

Many people attach an identity to a place or group of friends. I get to invent a new one every few years. Every now and again I lie about my past and see what people think. I have been a jock, a nerd, and a silent antisocial geek a few times. It is fun to see what groups of friends I can attract when I am playing my different roles. Sometimes I even go by different names. The most memorable year was when I went by my middle name in public. There are still people that refer to me by that other name to this day. It just gets hard to explain why family members call me something else.

Generally I find that people are pretty simple. People like to think that they are unique. Many go around and boast about their different victories and pretend that they are the only ones that have ever done what they've done. They just happen to be wrong. the best example have of this is people who talk about supernatural encounters. I've lived in three different countries and almost without fail I will hear a ghost story every other week. Sometimes I will get two in a week. I have no idea what it is that makes people want to talk to me about ghosts but I guess I just have this big sign on my head that tells crazy people to find me and tell me their scary story. They are all pretty much the same scary tale but in the end they always ask if I have ever heard a story like that. It's like their way of saying "Yeah I AM the only person that had that happen to them so I deserve some respect." I hate telling people that they are wrong in that regard. I did it a few times. They told their story and wanted taht special confirmation. I told one guy that it was probably the eight time that had heard a story like that. After that comes the counter argument and another fantastical story. If they really keep at it they will just get angry at you and storm off. Its almost like you wounded their pride. So most times I just take the innocent white lie approach. It sure makes them feel a lot better and their status as ghost expert remains intact.

In the end we all just run around filling certain roles. some people are aware of that others simply aren't. I like playing my role but sometimes I play a different one just for fun. It makes life very entertaining and it keeps me excited. The world is what we make of it and we can really enjoy ourselves if we want to.