the adventures of me

this is part of a message i wrote to someone i added as a friend on facebook.  i don't add anyone unless i know them, or unless they send me a personal message that makes them seem add-worthy (not that i'm all that or the message has to be all that; it's just a way of guarding against spammers and hackers and other nefarious types).  i decided to add this guy, and then he asked me more about me.  i thought my response might interest some readers here, especially since i haven't posted in a while.  at least it's something!   :-)

"you have indeed shared various personal tidbits, some hinting at more profound struggles, past and perhaps present, whereas i have been less forthcoming. i have appreciated your openness and sincerity, as i am much the same. it can take me a little bit to get started, however, especially with strangers and especially through this medium. people who know me and most people whom i meet one-on-one (as opposed to in group settings) would never describe me as shy or introverted or closed - very far from it, in fact - but people who don't know me can find me to be just that.

"blah, blah, blah.

"so anyway, about me? those questions are way too big to address in a facebook message, although i'll give it a shot. my life is a never-ending serious of interesting adventures - emotional, intellectual, spiritual, cultural, and so on - which i treasure despite the struggles and challenges that sometimes come with that orientation and way of operating. i am very much a person who lives my life instead of waiting for it to happen to me.

"i am currently dividing my time between san francisco and rio de janeiro, mostly working (when i do) online or on the computer as an online psychotherapist, online english conversation teacher, and writer. i'm currently working on some blogging, a memoire, and an advice column, as well as planning a webcast and trying to arrange more online psychotherapy work and consultation.  (but i only work about five hours a month at most right now.)

"it is much easier to say what i don't like than what i like, because that list is much shorter. it would include: yams and sweet potatos, except in lentil soup or veggie lasagne; opera and country music, except when it's live and the performer is tops; washing dishes, except when done with dear friends after a delicious meal together; republicans, humorless, aggressive or closed-minded individuals, except when these qualities represent fleeting lapses of judgement or when they have so many other redeeming qualities that in the balance i find them likable.

"what else? i can't think of anything else right now that i don't like ... although undoubtedly there are many. i'm undoubtedly having a momentary problem with my memory so that i can look good in this message.

"what makes me truly happy? in short: loving, learning and living. dear friends. children. mother nature. progressive politics. laughter. passionate sex. making a difference. discovering someone, something or some place interesting. understanding myself and others better. the touch of a loved one, spontaneous and unself-conscious. many things.

"i'll skip the question on losses for now. again, it's too complicated to answer in this forum. for now, suffice it to say that there have been many and varied, of all sorts, and that some i'm still processing and progressing beyond ...

"and now that you've done your daily quota of reading by perusing this long message, get your tight-but-previously-and-mistakenly -thought-to-be-flabby butt to work!"