I feel like a quote out of context,
Withholding the rest,
So I can be for you what you want to see
I’ve got the gestures and sounds
Got the timing down
It's uncanny, yeah, you’d think it was me
Do you think I should take a class
To lose my Southern accent?
Did I make me up, or make a face till it stuck?
I do the best imitation of myself
-Ben Folds
2 comments:
I can't remember why, but I was quoting these lyrics for my mom the other day in the car...this is a great song, actually my favorite by Ben Folds, but also somewhat sad. As all great Ben Folds songs are, come to think of it. How to keep from being 'a quote out of context'? When I started work, it made me crazy that there were all these parts of my personality/giftedness that didn't really fit with the world of insurance. I know all the verses (and motions) to Pharoah, Pharoah! And I've read scads of mysteries and children's books! And I love reformed theology! But all my employers care about are my spreadsheet skills! However, that doesn't bug me as much any more...I feel like the pieces of my personality are more or less in sync, and youth leader Beth isn't that far out of step with actuary Beth. Although sometimes actuary Beth is tempted to open/close a (work) meeting by taking prayer requests...
I think that's a common way to feel in transition, when you're trying to establish your identity in a new place and deciding which pieces to emphasize in what contexts. I, like Ben Folds, find myself over-exerting certain aspects of my personality sometimes, only to find I've "made a face and it stuck." My best example is a story I'm sure I've told you before: when I moved to Thailand, I couldn't communicate much with my host family. But they recognized that I like purple, so almost everything I have from Bangkok is purple. My affinity for purple got so blown out of proportion that my host mother would make squid for me for Saturday morning breakfast. Why? Because squid tentacles are purple.
Yes, definitely a case of "made a face and it stuck." (I tried not to make a new face at the squid, at least not in front of my host family).
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