That request has caused me anxiety ever since I first heard the saying. Now it's asked of each of us every day, where it has gone from the "About Me" section of Facebook, to the 160 character personal tagline on Twitter, to the invitation to "Write a little about yourself!" on Pinterest. I've always left that section blank.
Is it a good or a bad thing that I find myself incapable of being able to describe myself "in a nutshell"? The responses I've gotten when I ask other people have been varied. It means you know yourself really well. Really? What about if you change? Is your "in a nutshell" description of yourself that thing you hold onto when everything else around you is changing and you want to resist? It means you're a deep person that can't be confined to a short description. Is being deep and mysterious necessarily a good thing either? Will people be as willing to trust you or get to know you if you come off as being full of secrets? My mom has always said that people get what they see with me, and I feel like that's a good thing. Still, I've always been jealous of those people that seem to have it all together in their little About Me sections.
God made each of us complex, some more so than others I suppose. I just hope that I am of the complex variety, and not the over-complicated one. Sometimes I think I'm so hard to nail down because I care about pleasing others entirely too much. But then I remember that it shouldn't be about pleasing, it should be about loving and serving.
For the purpose of introductions, I'll give my own little nutshell of what I can tell right now...
I'm a grad student studying transportation engineering. I'm a rock climber, a knitter, a singer, a star gazer, a sister, a traveler. I was born and raised in Kentucky, and I love it dearly. Bluegrass, bourbon, and basketball! I love food (which you'll probably hear about). And cats (which you'll also hear about). My favorite color is sparkles. All of these things could change though.
So for now the only identity I care about maintaining during this tumultuous part of my life is one that I jotted down a couple of years ago:
I am a cherished child of God.
I was bought with a price. Washed white as snow by the blood of the lamb.
My God holds the peace which transcends all understanding, which guards my heart and mind.
My Jesus guides me daily. And His grace is an ocean.
