Stubborn As a Mule...

Yep.....I'm not moving on my ideas. Sorry pardner....

Close friends will tell you that I have always had my own ideas. Sometimes my thoughts are popular, brilliant, soaring beliefs that are creative, efficient, and helpful. Other times though, my mental wanderings are simply idiotic "flops" that should have died somewhere in the logical thought process....but instead made it ALL the way to my vocal chords (sigh). For a good example of this, here is this little mental gem I stupidly stated: "Astroturf is like sod in that you lay it in your yard in pieces....except that it dosnt grow!" Yes....my ideas are quite interesting little "soundbites" for all of those involved. But even the most ridiculous of ideas have not stopped me from having my own thoughts and ideas, and believing in them most zealously.

IDEA: "YES ELIZ! SAY THIS!!!!!"

My parents have referred to me as "stubborn," due to the aforementioned reasons, for as long as I can remember. At an early age, when most kids were playing on the playground, I read books from the Library---certain that this is what I would do for the rest of my life. I got teased, harassed, and tempted to play pretty much on a daily basis. Yet, I stuck it out in the Library day after day because I just knew reading would be so much more important to me than playing later in my life. Aside becoming BFF's with the librarian (Mrs. Wheeler...with her awesome book recommendations) I ended up teaching myself an amazing work-ethic, and a love for Literature that would never die. In fact, English Literature became my collegiate major---although the books did eventually upgrade from the likes of "The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown."
Bingo's "burning" questions were less than anticipated.

From that point forward, I became so stubborn I was sometimes a force to be reckoned with. I still feel so sorry for my childhood neighbor friends, whom I continually made play dress up day after day if I was to play with them at all. As if my eight year old time was so darn valuable.... But somewhere inside me I just believed that my ideas were right for me, and would eventually lead me in the right direction.

In highschool, I avoided drugs and drinking--not so much because I was a snob. But more so because that stuff just didnt have a place in my life. "I was happy," I thought to myself, "so why do I need that?" It seemed like a legitamite, reasonable thought, so I listened to my inner ramblings. I managed to go all four years with nary a drink or drug trial--an amazing feat at that age. But my own ideas spoke much louder to me than anyone elses voice. It struck me, sometime around this age, that the person I most worried about dissapointing was myself. This has stayed the case ever since.

Finally, I provide you with a hilarious antitode about how my stubborness has aided me thoroughly. Upon working at Tropical Smoothie, purple visor and all, it became my opening professional duty to set up the patio umbrellas. However, I soon decided that this was a pointless task. You see, the umbrellas were heavy and cumbersome...and I weighed all of 146 pounds. To add, the umbrellas were tedious to bolt into their holsters, and were therefore dangerous in windy weather. Furthermore, no customers EVER sat on the patio--as I worked at Tropical Smoothie during the Fall months. Therefore, after one painful month of setting up said umbrellas, I mentally decided that this was a professional task I could safely "blow off." The owner of the operation, though, was not satisfied with my "no umbrella" policy, and came in several times to "show me" how it was done. I guess as a nice man, he wanted to give me the option to pretend I didnt know how. Ghosts were undoubtedly setting it up for the first four weeks....; ) I would watch him show me this demo time after time, thinking to myself "yah no." THIS IS HOW LOUD MY INNER VOICE SPEAKS...I RISK JOBS OVER STUPID UMBRELLAS PEOPLE!!! I left all the umbrella madness at work, for one week, to visit my boyfriend out of town. When I came back, my manager, whom I had confided about my anti-umbrella policy, was smiling from ear to ear. Aparently,upon my absence, an umbrella had flown across a busy street, and had landed in the road and caused traffic-blockages. This, of course, was DUE TO WINDY WEATHER. It was therefore considered a "danger" and we did not have to resume putting them up until Summer. My manger at the time laughed hysetrically whilst telling me this. He said his first reaction was not to panic when alerted of said-runaway-umbrella...but instead to laugh and mentally think "I've GOT to tell Elizabeth about this."

Above is how my mind envisioned umbrellas

Some people call me close-minded, and maybe I am a little. But more so than that, I believe that my ideas, the crazy ones and all, lead me to where I need to be. I believe it's my personal ideas that tell me what I want out of life, and what I dont (like umbrellas). I don't push my ideas down other peoples throats, but I know what is right for me. I wish more people would learn to drown out what other people are saying, and harness in on their own thoughts. It's so important to listen to yourself, listen to what you want, and forget the rest.