The Thing About "100 Things"

Some of you have seen it posted on people's weblogs and homepages. It sits there, daring you to click on it, daring you to delve into the private world of the blogger in question, and gives you access to things about them that you didn't know before.

It's called "100 Things About Me," and depending on the blog and its proprietor/proprietress, you can learn everything from food preferences to sexual habits, everything from the intensely emotional to the mundane and irrelevant.

I've been tempted to do one myself. But then I untempted myself.

People may think it's because I'm a private person, or because it feels too raw to have all of these personality quirks posted on the internet for any would-be stalker to see. And they'd be partially right.

But the truth is that within a city-girl's cynical single heart lies the soul of a romantic. I'm saving the whole of myself for him. Wherever and whoever he is, I want him to be the first to discover the little things about me that make me me.

To an extent, information can certainly be gleaned from this blog. There are things that I've said here that are of the rawer variety; you may be able to extrapolate "things about me" for your own list (and the egomaniac in me might encourage you to make such lists). But if you're looking for Esther Unplugged, the purer, more acoustic me, you won't find it explicitly stated in my words.

The list is interesting. But it's artificial. It's a framework, a crutch.

As he gets to know me, and he'll learn some interesting things about me. Some are undoubtedly things that even I don't know about myself. But he'll embrace the challenge. He'll notice nuance. With the benefit of our fresh perspectives of each other, we'll learrn not just about who we are, but what other people see in us.

A person is an undiscovered country, with rough terrain that can be navigated only with the most determined, dedicated, devoted companion. Topographical shortcuts may be available, but better, in the long run, to have tackled the tougher paths together; the brambly, rocky roads less traveled lead to a deeper, more resonant appreciation.

Comments

[C]

Nice.

I have one of those posts on my blog. It was weird to write because it's so random. But it's not all of the little things that make me Me. The most personal and intimate details will not be found anywhere on my blog, and I think most experienced blog readers realize that when they come across any "personal" blog. Blogs are the tips of the iceburgs of our souls? Haha.

[mirty]

100 is a lot. I could think of maybe 10 unique and/or interesting things about me, but not 100.

[Denise]

I'm with mirty - I couldn't come up with 100 interesting things about myself!

[Janice]

Having met you in person Esther, I know that you have one of the most incredible laughs! It's kinda throaty and gutteral -- so unique and special about you -- and you're not stingy about letting it out either!

I'm confident that when you meet "him," that he too will notice and appreciate your sense of humor (as evident to anyone who reads your blog, of course) and the laugh that goes with it.

:-)

[Plantation]

Have also thought about this. Strangely, I don't think I could spout out 100 things. Might be an interesting exercise 'Live' over a few glasses of wine...