“Most of us are excellent at being self-deprecating, and are not so good at the opposite. Tell us your favorite thing about yourself.”

This is easy. Anyone who knows me knows that my treasure is my sense of humor. I’ve also cultivated a sense of the obscure, the trivial, and a huge library of movie quotes which tends to make people do double-takes when I say something they don’t expect, but are accurate. Along with my sense of humor I pride myself on a good vocabulary and the willingness to use it. I don’t play coy, take stabs of innuendo or work much with subtlety. I prefer direct communication, being blunt, and not being shy about what I think when I tell others. Often times I’ll hear people exclaim to me “Oh Andy, tell us how you really feel!” because I’ve said something that is quite obvious but possibly upsetting. I suppose my issue is I hate bandying around the bush. If something bothers you, come out with it. Say it. Put a voice to your feelings and share them. If you just sit on bad feelings they can become physical manifestations and really hurt you. Resentment, anger, irritation – they all can lead to stress, sleeplessness, worry, and if left too long, they can become a real illness.

I can also almost instantly get an intuitive feel for the emotional state of a room. I can tell when people are upset or angry and often times this sixth-sense of mine plays tricks on me. I tend to reflect the prevailing emotional energy dwelling in a space. If I’m with someone who is angry or disappointed then I am angry and disappointed. Often a lot of this comes out unintentionally and if I stop to think about it, the issues evaporate as I stop reflecting the energy that I’m floating around in. I suppose it’s an irreducible vestige of previous issues with codependency. I think over time I’ll get a better handle on it and instead of reflecting it, be able to manipulate it and better manage it.

So, in a way, I’m more complicated and more trouble than most people assume at first glance. Sometimes it draws people to me, sometimes the opposite. I do not let those that don’t appreciate me for who I am bother me. I put those people in the dark and ignore them. They are just as happy being in the dark and ignored than if they were in the light and included.