My Personal Symbols

Another fun happiness trick from Gretchen Rubin: Choose your personal symbols. Here are the ones I've chosen that I think represent me best.

A heart: I immediately thought of this for many reasons. First and foremost, a heart represents love. I want to be thought of someone who is loving and worth being loved. Second, my birthday is Valentine's Day. Hearts have been intertwined with my identity since birth.

Books: I am a self-professed bookworm. I'm at my happiest when I am reading. I will read almost anything, even the backs of cereal boxes, and I love a good extensive menu. Reading the Cheesecake Factory menu to me is a challenge to be joyfully accepted.

Dining/food: I love to eat!! I like to cook. I read cookbooks. I watch cooking shows. I watch people cook at home. I enjoy restaurants. Food is such an important piece of my life, I'd say that it is a core pillar of who I am. More often than not, if I'm out somewhere, it's for the food. :)

Coffee: If I'm not eating, then I'm drinking coffee. I'm not a coffee aficionado or a coffee expert. I don't know much about it. I just like to drink it. It is the giver of life... or at least, it's my morning kickstart.

Glasses: Besides the fact that I wear glasses, I find this to be a cliche symbol of your quintessential nerd. I consider myself very much a nerd, of the academic sort. I was the kid who liked school and did well in most subjects. I still prefer classroom-style learning. It's important to me to keep the mind growing all the time.

Lightbulb: IDEAS! I feel like I'm always full of them, but I'm not as keen on doing anything about them. They all stayed locked up in the old noggin. I've always been a thinker and lots goes on in my brain. I feel like if you can get me engaged intellectually, then I can truly connect with you.

Sun: I grew up in Florida and have always loved the sunshine. Living in the midwest now and enduring the rough winters makes me long for the days of sunny weather. Not to mention, I am just a happier person when I get sun. I think we all benefit from some vitamin D, no?

Fame/stars: My guilty pleasure! I love a good bit of celebrity gossip and fodder. I used to have aspirations of dating rock stars. I know way too much pop culture trivia than I know what to do with. If you need someone for a trivia night, then I might be able to help out.

House: I'm a homebody. I like my house. I enjoy being domestic. I get the greatest comfort out of being stable and settled and knowing that I have a place to call home. I also really enjoy watching home and yard renovation shows on TV.

So there they are, my personal symbols. What images can you come up with that represent who you are and the life you live?