25 Things Most People Don’t Know About Me

So… a LONG time ago – there was this thing going around on FB where friends were asking each other to put together a list of 25 things that most people likely didn’t know about them. Here’s mine:

1. I have a tendency to be radically (but gently) honest with people – often telling them things that no one else has the courage to say. In my practice, this is a valuable skill. In my personal life, I’ve lost more than a few friends because of it. I don’t really mind.

2. My very favourite movie of all time is “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”. I love random order and subtext… it’s pretty much how I think.

3. I once read a story about a woman on the Titanic who refused to leave the ship without her Great Dane. After the boat sank, her body was seen in the water with her arms frozen around her dog. My Great Dane was one of my greatest loves. My heart is convinced that I would have given my life for him. Same with my Bulldog. But if I really think about it, I have to admit to a shadow of doubt. This really bothers me.

4. I have a wife of nearly 20 years who I adore, one unrequited love, one ex I still think of as my friend, the one ex I rarely think about, and one ex who really broke me – hard.

5. My dream home is a tiny cabin in the woods – preferably off-grid, on a huge, remote acreage. I would love nothing more than to learn to sustain myself off the land and welcome occasional visitors for philosophical banter and a mug of tea by the woodstove.

6. Someone once suggested that I might develop an allergy to chocolate. The thought of this was enough to make me cry.

7. Some of the things I used to think I wanted to be when I grew up: Firefighter, Truck-driver, Helicopter Search & Rescue Pilot, Homeopathic Doctor, Lawyer, Marine Biologist...

8. When I was a kid, someone I loved once told me I sounded terrible when I sang. I didn’t sing in front of another human being for over 20 years. In 2004, I was fortunate enough to encounter a healer who was able to help me release that. Now, I teach others how to find their authentic voice.

9. I often feel like no matter how much older I get – I’m really just a teenage boy playing make-believe inside a grown-up skin. I asked my dad about this once. He said he pretty much feels the same way.

10. I am a VERY private person. The idea of posting this list in a public forum and the practice posting content on social media is agonizing for me. I am also extremely earnest and sincerely want to connect with and help people, which is what moves me to do it anyway.

11. I am a poet.

12. When I was little, I was fascinated by the idea of god. In my quest to understand – I went to Sunday school for a while. What I remember most is that they gave me a goldfish on the first day, as a reward for attending. My cat ate it. The next week, they gave me another one. It jumped out of its bowl & suffocated on air. The teacher didn’t like that I kept asking “why”. She kept feeding me some trite line about god working in mysterious ways. I quit going to Sunday school.

13. I know a lot of people but I have very few friends. I find it difficult to maintain superficial relationships. I also suck at keeping in touch with people.

14. I like to keep things organized and tidy. It is important to me that my house is kept clean. I alphabetize my CDs (yes, I still have those), sort my books according to genre and subject, arrange the clothes in my closet according to seasons, colour and purpose, and so on. I’m also a generally low-stress, easy going guy.

15. I have a way with animals – especially dogs and horses. At social gatherings, you can always find me with the family pets. I’ve been known to stand outside for hours, in the middle of the night – just to watch my neighbour’s horses graze.

16. I don’t use recreational drugs. As a general rule – I don’t consume alcohol either. But I do enjoy a really good Port, once or twice a year.

17. I collect rocks, crystals, minerals, sticks, feathers, and books (and I used to collect tea pots). At the height of my collection, I had around 5000 books in my library. Over many years, I pared it down to under 50 (it’s a long story…), but I’m starting to rebuild.

18. I love to read. I will read pretty much anything. I am also a stickler for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Sloppy writing makes me crazy – including emails. I think the “there, their, they’re” screenshot jokes are hilarious!

19. I have one surviving grandmother, a brother, a dad, a mom and two step-parents who all live in Ontario. We're not close and rarely talk. In fact, other than my wife and kids, I mostly feel like I have no family.

20. I don’t like parties. The last one I went to – I spent most of the night stargazing in my van while my Magpie danced her fanny off inside. I’m ok with that, but next time, I think I’ll just stay home.

21. Despite the fact that I love teaching, facilitation and leadership – I am a hardcore introvert. There is nothing I love more than still, silent time alone. If life didn’t require that I leave the house for food/money/etc. I would rarely venture out in public.

22. I used to be an idealist.

23. I feel like I have at least a couple of books I should write, but the process of actually writing them sounds like torture to me.

24. In my opinion, anything that comes in a set, especially if it includes a neatly organized carrying case, is cause for bona fide excitement!

25. From the time I saw the original FB post, it took me over 4 years to finish this list.

*BONUS! #26. I was diagnosed Autistic/PDA in my 50s. This revelation changed absolutely nothing, and absolutely everything. It also made me look at this list, years after writing it, and laugh… and laugh… and laugh…

-Teron