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five is the loveliest number
Without fail, I'm usually asked to describe myself in a word. A single word, as if that's even possible. "Fine," they say, "describe yourself in five words." I need to roll up my sleeves and get this one down because I know it'll spring up soon enough. If forced, which five words would you use to describe yourself? Answer. Then ask those closest to you (a parent, a lover, a sibling, a friend or two) to describe YOU using only five words, and do the same for them. Is there any parity? Is there a gap between how you see yourself and how the world around you does? If so, what have you learned from it?
It sounds like one of those quizzes in Cosmo, except there's no mention of a martini or an erogenous zone. Still, I think it's Tuesday fun. Please report your findings here as they roll in. Commit to your five words first. Post them. Then return to post what others said and how you feel about it.
March 18, 2008 in writing exercises | Permalink
Comments
My five: Empathetic, deep, controlling, funny, organized.
Posted by: SA | Mar 18, 2008 8:19:00 AM
Loyal, Pain In The Ass, Classy, Great Lover, Great Mommy...of course this is all today. Tomorrow it could be a completely different 5 words.
Posted by: Amy LI | Mar 18, 2008 8:31:47 AM
Hmmm. This IS hard!! Here goes- steady. Sarcastic, Type-A, (disgustingly)loyal, compassionate.
Posted by: Lori | Mar 18, 2008 9:19:19 AM
stubborn, funny, dependable, dedicated, spaz
Posted by: missgracie | Mar 18, 2008 9:32:58 AM
being completely honest? enthusiastic, compassionate, jealous, emotional, and kind.
Posted by: sp | Mar 18, 2008 9:42:56 AM
You think one is hard- five is even harder!
loving, dependable, creative, independent and Type-A (Thanks Lori, I think that is a good catch all descriptor :) )
Posted by: Adrienne | Mar 18, 2008 10:15:45 AM
Artistic, Supportive, Funny, Lazy and Opinionated.
Posted by: misstraceynolan | Mar 18, 2008 10:28:04 AM
brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary, inspirational and...modest.
Oh just kidding.
I would say calm, optimistic, focused, centered and friendly.
Posted by: 3 teens' mom | Mar 18, 2008 10:35:32 AM
tired,compassionate, giving, worried, open
Posted by: Lori | Mar 18, 2008 10:36:27 AM
witty, sarcastic, lazy, understanding, enjoyable
Posted by: Julia G. | Mar 18, 2008 10:52:10 AM
Human; with all that implies.
:)
Posted by: Colleen | Mar 18, 2008 10:54:55 AM
neurotic, loving, emotional, silly-funny & chatty
Posted by: Stacey | Mar 18, 2008 11:10:58 AM
Mommy, smart, impatient, passionate, loyal
Posted by: L.C. | Mar 18, 2008 11:12:14 AM
Husband says:
Fun
Adventurous
Loyal
Loving
Goofy
This all sounds generic to me, but he said it's sincere.
Posted by: marysia in tx | Mar 18, 2008 11:15:01 AM
Intense, direct, creative, slightly insecure, very interested in people.
Posted by: Lisa | Mar 18, 2008 11:42:13 AM
This would probably change daily. Today it is:
Expecting
Hormonal
Fiercely loving
Compassionate
Worrier
Posted by: Melissa | Mar 18, 2008 12:23:57 PM
perceptive, wise, witty, easy-going, generous
Posted by: jennifer | Mar 18, 2008 12:26:37 PM
here goes, in no particular order:
intellectual, dependable, gabby, sarcastic, independent
words i wish i could honestly add to the list (i'm working on them): thoughtful, creative, easy-going, brave, graceful
and to the general commenting public: saying "type-A" is cheating, even if it's true. this is just lazy. notice how you only hear "type-A" people describe themselves this way? you never hear people describe themselves as "type-B". that's because they are the ones with enough creativity to think of a better way to describe themselves. (and this is coming from a seriously obsessive compulsive, anal retentive, type-A person)
Posted by: beth | Mar 18, 2008 1:01:03 PM
passionate, quick witted, kind, introspective, & charismatic.
this is hard!
Posted by: brookem | Mar 18, 2008 1:03:07 PM
Loyal, empathetic, funny, stubborn and a worrywart.
Posted by: Kari | Mar 18, 2008 1:23:33 PM
loyal, organized, friendly, creative, dreamer
(but i could also say: jealous, lazy, neurotic, worrier, and competitive)
Mom says I'm: persistent, loyal, sophisticated, organized and creative (and approachable)
I'm going to have to keep thinking though... Interesting. Thanks, Stephanie.
Posted by: belle | Mar 18, 2008 1:31:36 PM
smart, funny, successful, curvy, sexy
Now I'll ask my husband. This is fun!
Posted by: rb | Mar 18, 2008 1:41:15 PM
I wouldn't dare say, I'm to insecure, shy etc.!
Posted by: Jane | Mar 18, 2008 1:53:29 PM
Thoughtful, bright, classy, sarcastic, and (brutally) honest
Posted by: lauren | Mar 18, 2008 2:19:07 PM
Old enough to know better.
Posted by: lee | Mar 18, 2008 2:27:37 PM
Contemplative, curious, verbose, protective, sentimental
Posted by: Carissa | Mar 18, 2008 2:42:28 PM
Loyal, optimistic, cautious, giving, strong.
I agree, really hard... and surprising how many not-so-terrific adjectives crossed my mind, that I was willing to admit to. But funny, they didn't make the final five. ;-) Thanks for the brain exercise! Will definitely share with family and friends.
Posted by: Kim | Mar 18, 2008 3:52:07 PM
Funny, Sarcastic, Loyal, Hurt, Hopeful.
Posted by: Azizeh | Mar 18, 2008 4:10:38 PM
OK, hubby said
- Intelligent
- Beautiful
- Loving
- Humorous
- and last, but not least, SEXY
My list was pretty close to his, but I think my list was influenced by what I thought he would say, if that makes any sense. What an interesting experiment. Thanks!
Posted by: rb | Mar 18, 2008 4:24:05 PM
so I've been told........
emotional, loyal, neurotic, simple, kind-hearted
Posted by: Semichrmd | Mar 18, 2008 4:36:45 PM
callipygous, neurotic, creative, empathetic, and anxious
Posted by: Jenni | Mar 18, 2008 4:38:31 PM
love
Posted by: Becca | Mar 18, 2008 5:07:24 PM
a lot, talented, inspiring, funny, loving
Posted by: Lady T | Mar 18, 2008 5:11:59 PM
A smart, hard-headed, loving woman
Posted by: Ana | Mar 18, 2008 6:37:47 PM
empathetic,loving, sad, sarcastic, stubborn
husband says: loving, intelligent, stubborn, beautiful, bitchy
Ilove your five, Colleen
Posted by: Lei | Mar 18, 2008 7:22:21 PM
Smart, smiling, passionate, loyal, tedious
Posted by: TeacherChristy | Mar 18, 2008 7:27:03 PM
Jenni,
Fortunately, I had to look up the definition of callipygous.
Otherwise, I would have spewed Dr. Pepper all over myself. You have enriched my vocabulary.
Posted by: Lei | Mar 18, 2008 7:38:01 PM
As of today:
Unemployed
Optimistic
Impatient
Wistful
Contemplative
In general on a day I haven't resigned my job:
Cautious
Optimistic
Impatient
Wistful
Inquisitive
Posted by: BethM | Mar 18, 2008 8:04:20 PM
idealistic, lonely (for love), independent, silly, adventurous
Posted by: jen | Mar 18, 2008 8:08:37 PM
I described myself as:
1. Opinionated
2. Sarcastic
3. Inflexible
4. Compassionate
5. Likeable (because, despite 1-3, people still like me!)
Hubby described me as:
1. Loyal
2. Beautiful
3. Loving
4. Book-smart
5. Neurotic (but, when pressed, admitted that he didn't really know what that meant!)
While I don't disagree with his picks for 1-4, those weren't the first words to come to mind.
> Neurotic!
Posted by: Tay | Mar 18, 2008 9:26:41 PM
me in 5 words: sarcastic, indecisive, loving, flexible, passionate
Posted by: Margie | Mar 18, 2008 11:05:16 PM
worrywort, humorous, bookish, introspective, honest
Posted by: crystal | Mar 18, 2008 11:48:43 PM
i thought it would be more fun to ask my husband too. here's what he came up with:
cool, cheese, salt
...cheese and salt are my absolute favorite foods.
he came up with love when i raised an eyebrow then went straight to shopping.
so i guess cool, cheese, salt, love and shopping.
he's really romantic and sentimental.
Posted by: emily | Mar 19, 2008 12:35:40 AM
hmmm here goes nothing:
giving, smart, stubborn, caring, contemplative
Posted by: Johanna | Mar 19, 2008 12:41:57 AM
Creative, compassionate, menopausal, hyper, and geeky.
Posted by: Nancy | Mar 19, 2008 3:59:11 AM
Understanding
Independent
Brave
Generous
Loving
Mmmm....I have to admit that some of my family and friends might add "stubborn" but then that would make six and you asked for only five, so I just have to leave that one out!
Posted by: Frances | Mar 19, 2008 7:15:24 AM
kind, empathetic, adventurous, coward, complex
Posted by: Kat | Mar 19, 2008 12:56:24 PM
hungry, sarcastic, emotional, loyal, uptight (trying to stay away from Type-A) :)
Posted by: Toni | Mar 19, 2008 1:36:20 PM
If I had to make a list, it would be: intelligent, stubborn, driven, opinionated, loyal.
If it were a sentence/descriptor of five words: Endlessly fascinated by nearly everything.
I ran this by a few friends and they just laughed. Apparently I am more stubborn than even I think.
Posted by: Jennifer | Mar 19, 2008 1:36:29 PM
funny, emotional, hard-headed, intuitive, caring
Will update with what the bf says... sorry i know this is late!
Posted by: LeAnn | Mar 19, 2008 1:53:12 PM
Generous
Creative
Bossy
Smart
Kind
Posted by: Maggie Sumner | Mar 19, 2008 2:28:55 PM
Intelligent, Adventurous, Sensitive, Opinionated and (Too) Generous
Love what Jennifer said:
If it were a sentence/descriptor of five words: Endlessly fascinated by nearly everything.
Posted by: Lola | Mar 19, 2008 2:34:26 PM
Forgot to add what the bf thinks!
Loving, Patient, Thoughtful, Quirky, Feisty
Posted by: Lola | Mar 19, 2008 2:38:55 PM
Hubby says: warm, funny, caring, controlling, unique.
I think we see me pretty much the same way. (I said empathetic, deep, controlling, funny, organized *see controlling*).
This was fun, Stephanie.
Posted by: SA | Mar 19, 2008 3:18:33 PM
Critical, sensitive, smart, impatient, honest.
Cool exercise; got me thinking this week!
Posted by: Elli | Mar 19, 2008 9:49:38 PM
five words..
indecisive.
generous.
opinionated.
independent.
dorky.
Posted by: Mindy | Mar 20, 2008 1:41:51 PM
So I told my husband my five words for him were perceptive, generous, curious, goofy and dramatic (as in melo-).
He said I pretty much described him as one of the more intelligent apes.
His five for me were classy, silly-repressed (as in silly on the inside, but serious on the outside), spastic, affectionate and ballerina...
apparently I'm a spastic ballerina... did I mention he was a goof?
Posted by: beth | Mar 20, 2008 5:01:12 PM
ok...this was fun...
Me on Me: intense, loyal, strong, messy, sentimental
Best friend (since childhood)about me: quirky, unique, independent, strong, free spirited
Brother about me:smart, funny, independant, environmentalist, messy
Mother about me:
smart, independent, caring, adventurous, logical
Haven't called Dad yet. Old timer hits the hay early....but he'll be nothing less than poetic. Funny thing is my best friend hasn't seen my family in years and my Mom and Brother don't speak...despite all that, some serious consistency here.
Posted by: Dawn | Mar 20, 2008 9:52:19 PM
This was my favorite thing over the Easter weekend. My boyfriend and I spent a good long car ride making our lists, and then sprung the game on family during our stay.
So, an update:
My words about me were critical, sensitive, smart, impatient and honest.
My boyfriend's words about me were, I think, more accurate. Or maybe just nicer. He said emotional, idealistic, extroverted, introspective and willful.
My mother's words about me were idealistic, kind, activist, witty and outdoorsy.
The hardest part was coming up with my five words for my mom. And my favorite part was my dad's five words about her.
Posted by: Elli | Mar 30, 2008 9:56:56 AM
