I
sip coffee from a red mug with a white number nine on its side. It’s
not the best coffee I have made, but it may help fight off heavy eyes
as it is now growing late into the evening.
I gaze
over a stack of papers on my desk then push a black Pilot G-2 mini
across a cluttered piece of paper. Again I am defeated as I attempt to
find a lead sentence that will capture who or what I am. Writing about
me has never been easy and I am not breaking any personal records at
the moment.
I
think of the onion theory as I struggle to peel the multilayered nature
of my personality apart. The outer layer being what the world sees,
what I naturally feel comfortable exposing. Inside the inner most
layer exists the unique private domain and it is closely guarded. Yet
between the two are things such as goals, religious believes, and who
my favorite NASCAR driver is.
It is the middle of the onion I am trying
to tap into to describe who I am. The
portion of the onion that may begin to explain what I have seen, and
how I have processed the images of my life. One layer is the family
that has supported every decision I have made, standing beside me
through good times and bad. Allowing me to succeed and fail as I have
done both many times. Another layer would be the education I have
acquired both in the classroom and on the street, and the sense of
accomplishment that accompanies it. But most importantly is the layer I
share with my wife Kim, the slice that is our daughter Luchia. She is
the most important thing I have ever been a part of. Lucy is present in
all layers, from the skin to the core. With all that I have seen, and
all that is still to be experienced, what I am is a father.
