Not Gonna Do It! - Thursday Thirteen #48

We've all got our traditions, our routines, our own way of living our lives. The things we do, and how we do them, what we believe in and feel strongly about, that is what make us unique. But it is also in the things we DON'T do, believe, think and say that we form our personalities. I ran across this idea for a TT in my travels last week, and I wish I could remember where it was that I found it (so if it was you, let me know and I'll give you credit), but for this week's Thursday Thirteen, I thought I'd give you a list of 13 things I do not do, believe, think or say.

1. I do not wake up easily or full of energy. EVER. It doesn't matter if I've gotten 8 hours of sleep, or just 5 or over 10...I am not a morning person. The wake up process for me entails a whole lot of hitting the snooze button and stumbling into the bathroom with my eyes half closed. Once I'm up though, I'm up.

2. I don't buy designer clothing and/or shoes and/or purses at full price. EVER. In fact, I very rarely buy them at all, unless I can get a ridiculously good deal at the various mark-down stores that carry last season's left-overs. Yes, I love fashion and am a self-professed shoe-a-holic, but I can't justify spending $400 (or even $100) on a pair of shoes, when I could buy 5 or 6 (or more) pairs for that amount. Not to mention pay my bills with it.

3. I don't like grocery shopping. At all. Not even a little bit. For someone who loves to shop, you'd think I'd just clump grocery shopping into the mix and enjoy it. I don't. I loathe grocery shopping and will put it off until I absolutely have nothing left in my house to eat before I go.

4. I don't know how to watch someone dance without feeling a bit nostalgic, and sad, and remorseful that I didn't pursue my dream to be a dancer. And yet, I will watch any kind of dancing at any opportunity, even if it makes me a little sad. It's a bittersweet thing for me, but it is a passion.

5. I don't have the ability to watch someone cry without joining in. I'm a full fledged sympathy cryer, and if someone is crying in front of me, odds are there are tears in my eyes. Even on television. Even in a book. Seriously my floodgates have no lock on them.

6. I don't get drunk. I enjoy a good martini as much as the next girl, and take real pleasure in having a glass of wine with dinner when I'm out with friends. But with the exception of the occasional buzz, which is usually my sign to stop drinking before it turns into anything more, I don't allow myself to get drunk. I've never been a fan of drunken behavior in anyone, and I especially don't enjoy the feeling in me. I've drunk to the point of praying to the porcelain gods exactly once in my life. It's also been the only time I've ever been hungover. It was sufficiently horrible for me to know I didn't ever want to experience it again. In my earlier years I did get drunk more often than that once, but always knew my stopping point before it was too late.

7. In keeping with that, I don't tolerate drunk driving. At all. There's no excuse, we're all adults, we should all know better. I lost a dear friend to a drunk driver and am militant in my disgust for anyone who chooses to drive when they've obviously been drinking.

8. I don't feel the need to be in a relationship for the sake of being in a relationship. I don't get women who choose to stay with men who don't make them happy (and in fact make them miserable) because they are afraid of being alone. It just doesn't make sense to me.

9. I don't think I'm better than anyone else because I am single. I don't think I am less than anyone because of it either. I just think I am true to myself at this moment in time, and when the right man comes along, IF the right man comes along, then I'll continue to be true to myself by being with him.

10. I don't feel guilty for the life I lead. More often than you could begin to imagine, I get words thrown at me meant to make me feel like I should consider myself lucky for the "freedom" I have to make choices without needing to consider or consult a husband and kids. I am reminded that I have a good job, my own home, and a great wardrobe as if these were things I should apologize for. I have worked my ass off for these things, and at times they've come at a cost of sacrificing my time, my energy, and even my heart when I've chosen NOT to settle for the wrong man. I don't feel guilty for my life, I have earned it.

11. I don't want to be single forever. I think I may give that impression off quite a bit, and it's not the truth. True, I'm comfortable with my status, but I do want to fall in love, get married, have kids one day. I just want it to be right. My self confidence is real, but is also a bit of a defense mechanism against the fact that at the end of the day, I am sleeping alone. I'm not afraid to admit that.

12. I don't trust a lot of people. I have a knack for picking friends who suck the juice right out of me and don't ever give it back, and this has led to years of pain and a hardening of my outer shell. I will get along with anyone, and genuinely like a whole slew of folks, always having room for more in my life. But I don't trust but a few.

13. I don't stay mad. I don't waste my time or energy being upset about the small things, and even the big things. Life is too short and fragile to spend it in a bad mood. I choose to deal with my hurts and upsets as immediately as possible, and then leave them behind. I forgive quickly. I don't forget quite as easily however.

Well, there you have it. This actually turned into a much more personal TT than I had intended it to be, but I guess I'm feeling introspective today.

I can't get the Mr. Linky site to work for me today. You can visit other Thirteeners here.