I can take a nap nearly anywhere. I once had a pet opossum. I’m not afraid to boast about the 10-point buck I got with a crossbow in tenth grade. I’m really good at swimming on my back. I’ve published a poem about fireflies. I’m married to a woman that wants to bee-keep. I’m allergic to bees. I was once an insurance salesman for 72 hours. I’ve danced before a large audience of people. I’ve also made a large audience of people laugh. I enjoy math even though I’m not good at it. I think lying is okay if you’re describing the size of the fish you caught.
I think love is real only because we make it real. I learned that there are things in life we can only learn by making the mistakes we make before we learn better. I also learned that wisdom usually comes from an unexpected source, so listening to everyone is important. I think that ideals are ridiculous and we need them to know where we’re going, even if we won’t ever get there.
I believe in God. I believe that I am mostly wrong about god, but I hope that I get a little bit right. I believe in glimpses and revelations that are gifts. I believe that as soon as I’ve discounted anyone’s opinion I’ve willfully closed my eyes. I believe in absolute truth. I do not believe in any one person’s ability to absolutely know the truth.
I choose to believe in Jesus, but I prefer to call him by his original Hebrew name, Yeshua, because I’ve heard the name Jesus used hurtfully so many times. I choose to believe in Yeshua because his message is one of second, third, fourth, and seventy-seventh chances, and I know I’ve needed every one of those.
hardknocks, PhD 