Also, my naval is pretty

The cruel collection that is Heart in San Francisco has tagged me to write ten things I like about myself. Most of you know that this is not the sort of thing I generally do: sit around thinking of reasons why I am great. I would have a much easier time jotting down ten things I dislike.

My initial impulse was either to ignore the summons or make some elaborate joke out of the whole thing. It isn't even, so far as I can tell, a legitimate meme so much as a question that the Heart in San Francisco gang was asked. Ultimately, I decided that it might be a worthwhile experience to at least try it. So here goes...

Ten things about myself that I like, am grateful for, or which I have gradually learned to accept:

1. I like my brain, and that it seems to work slightly differently from the norm. Given a shared experience or stimuli with a random sampling of humans, I have a tendency to draw different conclusions or experience the event in a different way. I am pretty sure that this off-centered-ness(ocity?) is a huge boon to me as a writer and observer, and it probably has a large impact on most of the other things that comprise this list.

2. From as far back as I can recall, my sense of humor has been the single most important aspect of my personality when dealing with others. Without it I not only would have found it impossible to cope with life, but would also have almost certainly made fewer friends in my travels. I am very glad to have lived for this long through some pretty extreme highs and lows, still finding it more or less intact.

3. The more I write, the closer I seem to be getting to the idea that I could read something I wrote without cringing internally. Internal cringing is, like, the worst. So I like that I decided to write a little more than a year ago, and that it seems to be something I am keeping with, learning from, growing into.

4. I like slash am grateful for finding new expressions of creativity. Having been an actor, a musician, a writer and a photographer, it seems like I am always following a muse of some sort down an alley without knowing exactly what lies ahead. I am glad that I have somehow allowed myself to trust these instincts, and to follow them. I am running out of arts to explore, however, so I may have to revisit some of my old favorites the next time I get spiritually restless.

5. I think my friends know that if they need something, I will be there. I had plenty of friends in my 20s who were actually just acquaintances, and at some point I decided that I was done with superficial friendships. Those who are still around know that I will be there for them.

6. I called a friend today and asked him what he thought I might like about myself. He suggested that I like my clothes, which kind of made me sound superficial and vain, but I thought about it and decided that he was partially right, in that I have almost never worn something in order to appear fashionable. I have dressed for comfort since I started purchasing my own clothes. It is better to feel good than to look good, or whatever.

7. The same friend said I like my taste in music, which is true. Phrased like that, I suppose it is true of anyone. But I think what he meant is that I consider myself discerning when it comes to music. I do take a certain amount of pride in the music I choose, and get a genuine thrill when I can expose someone to something they may have never heard otherwise. Plus, it is proving really hard to come up with ten things, so this makes the list.

8. I suppose my attempting this list should remind me that I am usually open for a challenge. Things that are easy are seldom worth the time, so something like this, which has been somewhat excruciating, is theoretically of greater worth. And I suppose that I like that I was willing to give it a shot.

9. I am open-minded enough to not be a zealot about anything. Zealotry is something I find repellent in other people (even when it is also admirable) and I am glad that I no longer believe anything to be absolutely true.

10. My freakish memory has been discussed here before, and it is both a blessing and a curse. I am concentrating on the blessing side for our purposes today. While it will never really help me to know in what year the song coming out of the radio was released, or the name of the actor who was in some movie 25 years ago, my ability to retain conversations and personal details is very helpful to me as a writer and also as a person who, from time to time, comes into contact with other people. If I could recall names with any precision, it would be great, but people seem willing to forgive that part.

Now I never tag people with memes as a rule, in spite of handing out a handful of blogging awards a week or so ago, but talking with Danny over at Witnessing Amy made me change my mind. I was complaining about how hard it was to come up with 10 separate things about myself to write about in a positive light without making it into a joke, and he kept saying that it was a good exercise for me, of value and one I would benefit from undertaking.

So he's tagged, but the rest of you are off the hook. Let me know if you decide to tackle this, however, and I'll happily come by and take a gander.

And now I'm off to gaze lovingly at my own reflection in a mirror...