"My image of me is not at all your image of me." That's a quote by Alan Watts. "Who is Alan Watts?" you might ask. He was a philosopher who died in the early '70's whose claim to fame was that he popularized eastern philosophy for a western audience. He wrote The Way of Zen, one of the first best-selling books on Buddhism. I like the quote above because it is true. No one knows you better than yourself, and yet, oftentimes people will be their own worst critics. Sometimes it seems that we are only able to see the negatives about ourselves in a clear light while the good points are obscured until someone points them out to us. Why is it that the person we should know the best, is the person we sometimes know the least about. Why is it so hard for some of us to convey our own good qualities? A while back I put up a profile on Zoosk.com ... a dating site. On your home page, they have you write a little something about yourself, which will hopefully help to let someone know a little bit about you and make you sound appealing. Well, I just went back and read mine and I am ashamed to say that I don't even think I sound interesting. To be honest, after reading my "Story" I don't even think I would like to meet myself! What I wrote is below. I will give my self assessment afterward. I live in Rindge and I work out of my home, I have two daughters, 14 and 6. I home school both of my daughters. I train in the martial arts a couple times a week and help teach the little ninja classes twice a week. I am a 2nd degree blackbelt, as is my oldest daughter. We take our training seriously. I like to fish hike and go canoeing. I am not a big fan of TV. I prefer to read or to watch a movie on DVD. I like to go to the movies and concerts, and I love to take my daughters to museums. I also like flea markets and antique stores. I am a good cook, although I prefer to use a grill rather than the stove. I am not a vegetarian and while I can cook vegetables, I much prefer to cook a nice steak. I do not smoke or drink and preferably, you don't either. My ex-wife died in August, 2013 due to complications from alcoholism thus heavy drinkers and party girls need not apply. Part Two I am looking for someone who isn't into partying, likes children and doesn't feel the need to go out every night. While an appreciation of the martial arts or the willingness to learn isn't a necessity, it would be nice to find someone who actually does. Like most people I like to laugh and to make others laugh. A good sense of humor would be welcome. Aside from that, I am open to meeting new people. I have been out of the dating scene for over 17 years so it will be nice to meet new types of people. Well, there it is. While everything I said in the blurb there is true, I personally don't see anything there that anybody will latch onto and say, Wow, I'd really like to meet that guy! It is short and blunt and leaves nothing to the imagination... and nothing to build a dream on. Who really cares if I am a good cook? It's true, but no one really gives a shit. I don't drink, so I likely cut off about 80% of the eligible women with that statement. Moreover, two to four times a week I have basically said that I am either going to go and hit and kick things or teach kids how to properly hit and kick things.
I despise TV. Yep, that's gonna win me a lot of hearts.I like to read... so go amuse yourself for a few hours while I read this book! Well is there anything else? Well, now that you mention it, I said I like to go to the movies or concerts, but I never said what kind of movies I like or what type of music I like. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if women thought I'd probably like to sit through a night of chamber music... or maybe the chanting monks! So what could I have written that may have made me sound more enticing? Only things that either won't win me any friends, or things that are only partially true. For instance, while I love to go to rock concerts and have seen hundreds of bands, most of those were from when I was younger. My schedule only allows me to get out only so often. In fact, over the past two years I have seen only six bands... and four of those were on the same night! Yikes! So what else? I like to have deep discussions on a broad range of topics... economics, philosophy, psychology. In fact, when I can't find people to talk about these things with, I will write about them three to five times a week on my blog. I have my daughters write on the blog too, so you can basically see where the whole family is coming from! If you are looking for a snappy dresser, then I am not your man! I prefer jeans and a t shirt. I do know how to dress up. But after twenty years in a suit, I came to find I am most comfortable in jeans and a T. Shaving is optional in my world. There is a 90% chance that I won't shave on any given day. I will scrape it off every once in a while, particularly if we are doing something where it i expected that I don't look like the unabomber. Note, though, that I do prefer women who shave their legs and armpits. Women with bodies hairier than mine are a dealbreaker! Yep, I bet my new revised write up is just gonna win me a lot of hearts. Okay, folks, here's an assignment... particularly if you are a long-time reader. Write me up a story line that you think can win me favor with the roulette wheel of Zoosk! Try to make it honest! It can be funny or serious. Believe me, I will be amused by all of them. If one of them is really eye catching. I'll use it for my storyline on Zoosk. I am not a subscriber by the way, I just have a free account. I figure I can sign up quickly if someone catches my eye. That's me on the right.
1 Comment
Maddie
5/18/2016 04:36:43 pm
Homeschool dad living in Rindge NH. I work from home, and I value family time. However, I also enjoy hiking and spending free time either outside or working out at the dojo. I'm a second degree black belt and a sensei, so as you can imagine- I am pretty serious about my karate. While I'm serious about my training (and work), I appreciate an open sense of humor as I love to crack jokes and make others laugh! When I'm not amusing myself and others, I love having deep talks on an array of subjects- psychology, politics, theories of any type- I'm open to everything! While I'm a deep thinker who values logic, I am also very understanding and know how to talk through emotions.
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