Two days ago I published a "5 facts about me" post, but I still have so much to share. Instead of "facts", I'll go for stories instead, stories that made people in the past go, "That's so Guy!" stories that capture who I am, or who I used to be, in terms of mindset.
Curious Self-Electrocution:
Image source.
I was a very inquisitive child. I was blessed by the fact both of my parents had both patience and knowledge to answer many of my queries about the natural world.
As a child, I'd use a magnifying glass on a dead cat's tail that was in our front yard, and so I learned the scent of burnt flesh. I'd decapitate a praying mantis and observe as it'd maul its head after I placed it between its claws.
But I had this lamp. The sort with two naked-metal rods running from its base to the lamp itself. When you touched both rods at the same time, you'd get a little jolt.
I was in the sixth grade, and I was curious. So I turned the lamp off, opened my mouth, and placed one lip on each of the two rods. I turned the lamp on.
I saw the light. Quite literally. I think I ran downstairs and hugged my mother as my heart raced. Oh, did it race.
Nobody's Special:
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You know the saying, "Everyone is special, just like everybody else"? What if I told you I only understood that people meant this literally, in a manner analogous to how snowflakes are all unique, yet similar, or fingerprints, in my 20s? For most of my life I focused on the "Like everyone else," and took this statement to mean, "You're special - just like everyone else, meaning, not at all."
Yeah. Funny how language works. Or my younger mind, I guess.
The Value of Saying "Sorry":
Image source.
I was about 13 or 14 at the time, in a tennis practice. I used to play quite a bit of tennis back then. I hit a ball, and it hit the instructor.
He looked at me.
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
After a while, he asked me why I did not say I'm sorry for hitting him with the ball. I explained to him then. Of course that one should say they are sorry after such an event. I knew it. He knew it. He knew I knew it. I knew he knew I knew it.
So, considering the above, why bother saying you're sorry? We both know that I should, so let's just look at it as if I had, and move on.
Ah, I used to be so young. And in some ways, I still am.
I hope these stories helped you lot understand me, or at least my growing mindset, better.