august blog-o-sphere think tank :: self-defining.


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how do i define myself?
in many ways....

as i pense and ponder upon this question, 
these self-descriptions come to mind. 
these are how i speak of my character to others :: 

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i am a hobbit. 

40-something years ago, sister mine and i read j. r. r. tolkien books
and i knew i was a hobbit. 
i am a hobbit. 
short, round-ish, hiking about, going on great adventures, 
carrying my walking stick, ambling up coyote hill, 
out-and-into the forest of pencilfox acres. 
on the wall of the room wherein i lived for a couple years at college
i had secured a come to middle earth poster. 
being of the height my body claims, i say to others
i am a hobbit. 
one of my dearest friends calls me
hobbiten.


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i am a coyote. wild and feral. 

my hair is always uncombed, stray strands hanging untethered. 
there is a longing in my heart to yip and run free. 
i am a lone creature yet i belong to a pack. 
intuitively, i hear of the future and i speak silently to others. 



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i am a knitter. 

in the closet of my room there is a bounteous and ample supply of wool. 
currently, i am studying the loft and wear of each type of worsted and fleece. 
wherever i go, i am always carrying that second tote bag of handwork. 
i have given away more fingerless mitts that i can count, 
more than i can remember. 
knitting for me is a therapy of sorts, each stitch a prayer. 


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i am a snowshoer.


my heart flips and flops with joy when the first snowfall comes. 
there is nothing more peaceful than to walk unbothered and prayerfully
through the forests, 
my little buddy ziggy starfire atlas bacon jones tagging along. 


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i am a journaler. 

every morning and whenver the need arises i am writing in a journal. 
entries include the morning temperature
fahrenheit and celsius
and date/day/weather conditions. 
i write of feelings, of thoughts, of things said to me, of words upon which i wish to ponder. 
i find it an undisturbed halcyon time well-spent. 



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i am a skinwriter. 

always have been, always will be. 
it all began with drawing on my body, decades ago, 
wishing to have that image a permanent emblem on my body. 
in my early days of nursing, in emergent situations, 
we medical folks would write on our hands and arms, 
numbers and values which had yet to be recorded. 
i'd go home with all this on my arms, feeling like i had been imbued with mementos. 
now i write words of strength and reminders of who i am meant to be, 
i draw heart and leaf and feather icons. 
i see them and i remember. 
i remember who and what i am. 


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i am a reader. 

books are stacked on a wee table, next to my side of the bed. 
sometimes i fall asleep with books next to me in the bed. 
in the guest room are several stacks, 
and in the book shed, even more books and a table and bed for reading. 
i am always carrying at least one tome in case there is a free moment for
mental stimulation, stress reduction, and learning and increasing focus. 
as a child i read the dictionary
and even now, i often glance through my 1913 putnam's word book
or the early-century edition of a webster's dictionary. 


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i am a collector. 

i often tell folks
 i live in a museum. 
i am always looking down, always sticking this-or-that stick or rock into my pocket. 
these little bits of detritus and earth-created fragments 
line the windowsills of the house, 
sit in neat rows and piles on shelves here-and-there. 


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i am an artist. 

be it draw or watercolour or bead or sew. 
i do it for peace of mind and to decorate myself. 


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i am a member of a pack. 

i do not own any animals.  
mister pencilfox and i have rescued several homeless and needful creatures
in our few years together. 
he is alpha. 
i am not. 
and that's alright with me. 
i simply am and that's right where i belong. 


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and this....all this....is my identity. 
this is how i define myself to others. 


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what is this blog-o-sphere think tank?

my friend andes cruz formed a once-a-month blog circle. 
participants write on the same topic and post on the 20th of the month. 


please join me in perusing my fellow bloggers' posts….


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Comments

Bellsprings said…
Was it truly that long ago we read Tolkien for the first time? I guess we are both hobbits, since we are blood sisters (grin). Love the pictures and definitions of self.
pencilfox said…
yeah....hobbit sisters.
Anonymous said…
it's good to be many things!
prairiegirl said…
You are many things, a colorful creature, and I love them all.
xO
sage and spirit said…
I love how you have looked deep into your soul and found the very best of who you are.
x
pencilfox said…
aww, shucks.
i love ya back. truly do.
xO
pencilfox said…
't'was the assignment, the topic, so i dug up the descriptions of how i actually define myself to others....
x
Sandra Dunn said…
Whew baby! You magnificent Hobbiten!! I love your identity, gifts and loves. This post was lovely.
pencilfox said…
so glad you visited....
xx