Steph Abbott Says

10 Things To Know About Me…

Preposterous! A great declarative statement if ever there was! (I am easily entertained.) My imagination truly does overshadow the bigger picture of reality.

Pessimistic. As I believe human beings are inherently good, I know that society demands otherwise.

Permissive. Unbound by so many social norms, my creative nature is best characterized as permissive. My tolerance for pain and pleasure are equal to my proclivity for coffee and chocolate. A condition I choose to suffer in defiance of boredom.

Precocious. Marked by many acts of defiance, my life (and my body) reflects damage (and growth) done from my tendency to embrace all life has to offer before realizing (and regretting) all the consequences of some of those embraces.

Present. My soul’s resting spot is in the present. The ‘here and now’ is where I find comfort. The attraction to stay in the present reveals my fear of dealing with anything else. I sit firmly (and a bit obstinately) living life for each moment of truth, beauty, triumph and failure.

Patient. I am extremely patient–within certain limits. It seems that eons can pass while I wait to accept the consequences of my actions. Yet it takes only seconds for my mind to jump to conclusions.

Passionate. In my precocious efforts to embrace the present, I am truly passionate. Reflected mostly through my work, my zealousness to overtake and consume a project like a female praying mantis is legendary. (Well, that was a bit dramatic. Hmmm.)

Piquant. Salient yet sour remarks sometimes spark from my tongue. So while I try not to be disrespectful, my responses can quickly turn to retorts. Thankfully, I filter out a plethora of possible offenses by trying to live by The Golden Rule. (Got a problem with that?)

Piscean. Simply put—I have great feet, swim well, and empathize too much.

Purplish. If one could be characterized by a hue, I’d say that I am a bit purplish. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that I was actually a bit purplish from birth to 17 years. One side of my heart was two sizes too big, unusually filled with thick, rich blood. I had a hole in my heart “size of a silver dollar!” Or so said the cardiologist at UCSF after having to cut a new patch of Kevlar-like material and sewing it in my heart, creating a wall between two chambers of that seemed to be mixing my red and blue life blood. The doc estimated my blood volume to be perhaps 30% less oxygenated than most kids. If true, it explained a lot. My paper thin skin appeared purple in cold weather. Not just my lips. My whole body turned a purplish shade contrasting with my orange and blue Speedo during many early-morning swim meets. While I rarely bear the physical hue these days, I tend to favor the color. (This blog may seem a bit purplish after such a liberal exposure of my personality traits.)

Note: I felt inspired to create this post upon reading the NaBloPoMo writing prompt for Friday, December 17, 2010: “Describe yourself using ten words that start with the letter P.”

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