An exercise in knowing oneself

My sister-in-law asks her four children a list of simple questions about their preferences once a year on their birthdays, such as what is your favorite food?, favorite color?, what are you good at?...

I enjoyed reading their answers, but was struck by how difficult it would be for me to come up with my own answers! I wonder if I don't know myself well enough, or if I am simply always changing, in essence becoming who I am every single day (that borders on the philosophical, but I'll keep this simple).

To discern whether I am unaware, indecisive, or whether I have just never considered the simple matter of self-awareness, here's my short exercise.

Favorite book(s): Søren Kierkegaard Works of Love and Practicing Christianity (I prefer the translations by Howard V. and Edna H. Hong, the Princeton editions).

Favorite color: aqua (same answer I gave in preschool according to an old paper!)

Favorite foods: Pineapple pizza with extra sauce and crispy crust, snap peas, mandarinorange/pineapple refrigerator cake. I see a theme of pineapple, which I don't really love, but these treats are an exception!

Mandarin Orange Cake

*1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake
*1 cup oil
*1 can mandarin oranges w/ juice
*4 eggs

Mix all together and bake 35-40 minutes @ 350 degrees in 9X13 pan.
Allow to cool well before topping with cool whip topping below.

ICING/TOPPING:
*1 lg. box instant vanilla pudding
*15 1/2 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
*8 oz cool whip (I use a little more than this...almost double, but at least 12 oz.)

Mix all together and spread over top of cooled cake.
Place in icebox. This is better refrigerated.

Least favorite foods: any kind of meat! I am not a vegetarian, but survive on turkey lunch meat and an occasional piece of white meat chicken covered in sauce.

On a day off I like to: wake up at 6, eat breakfast and read my emails, blogs, and whichever book I am currently reading. Then I like to tidy my house so that is shines, begin laundry, and water the garden. After that, I try to meet a friend for lunch or afternoon tea. And then Patrick comes home!

I frequently forget: to pack something sweet in my lunch. I tend to leave early just so that I can go home for a treat. I'm not kidding.

In friendship I value: vulnerability --I debated whether to write authenticity or vulnerability, but went with vulnerability because I think many people are authentic, even in their shy, insecure awkwardness (I can write that because I find myself there often!), but what those of us like that do not understand is that it can be just as detrimental to a friendship to be the shy, awkward, but well-meaning friend as it is to be the overpowering, talkative, never-let-the-other-person-speak type of friend. There is give and take, and sometimes those of us who are shy need to give a little in the way of starting the conversation or being brave and bold enough to speak up and share something first, no matter how scared we are, or whether we perceive that no one else will care.

One outlandish dream: To speak, read, and write Danish fluently so that I can work with Kierkegaard's original texts. But, it is as impossible as this: In English we pronounce Kierkegaard, |ˈki(ə)rkiˌgärd; -ˌgôr|; look at all of those letters and syllables! In Danish it is pronounced (and I will butcher this) |ˈki,gär|. For further reference about the difficulty of the Danish language, refer to this video.

If I were in a beauty pageant, I would advocate: ...hmmm, not world peace, or animal rights, or ending world hunger. I might begin a campaign to have people share one positive thing and one struggle in their life with a stranger every day. This wouldn't abolish materialism, which is necessary for capitalism, and it would not require people to care about others or the environment, or to share their own possessions and comfort with others, because that Utopia was not successful in the past, and prevents a democracy, but it would shake the western sense of individualism, self-focus, and isolation that has robbed our culture of support, care, compassion, and awareness for, in, and among individuals.

I've successfully gotten myself to 10:30, and now I can read S.K. Cheers! In Danish, Farvel.