The Book of Me, Reflections on Prompt #1

Since creating my 'I am' series last Saturday for prompt #1, I have read back through it several times, though not adding or subtracting anything or changing around the order of the statements.  I have been thinking more about why I included certain 'identities' of myself and excluded others. I wrote the original post in a very quick manner, without giving much thought to each individual statement, so I feel as if I was almost channeling my subconscious in the exercise. (I did not stop at #20, I just quit when I got a lapse in my train of thought and said "that's it.")  So, here are some thoughts about the exclusions I ended up making:

I am happy/content.  I am not really surprised that I left this one off my list.  I would be the first to admit that I am a "glass half empty" kind of person.  I've struggled with depression in the past and I worry too much about the future, usually for no good reason.  Someday, I would like to be able to write a list like this and have the words 'I am happy.' roll right off my keyboard as the first statement.

I am tolerant/accepting/open-minded.  This is one of the really important virtues that I try to instill in my kids everyday, so the fact that I did NOT list it in a description of myself in a bit disconcerting to me.  Is this a case of me needing to do a better job of 'practicing what I preach,' or did it just slip my mind at the time?

I am shy/an introvert.  I am actually quite happy that I left this one out of my list.  I've always thought of myself as more on the shy side.  I'm usually much happier outside of larger social situations.  But we've only lived in our current town about a year, and I need to keep trying to make new friends, so thinking of myself as an introvert would not be helpful at all in that respect. 

I am an American.  Oh boy, my Italian-immigrant great-grandfather is rolling around in his grave, because he LOVED America, and this probably would have been the first statement on his list.  Is my world view so small that I just take my American citizenship, rights, and freedoms for granted?

I am a Christian.  I am sad that I left this out of my original list, but I'm not surprised.  Over the last few years, I admit that my faith has wavered due to personal issues I've been dealing with AND the fact that I disagree with a lot of what my particular denomination teaches.  But I do pray often, I believe in God, and I believe in the presence of an afterlife.

I am blessed/thankful.  I am really disappointed in myself for not including something along these lines, because nearly every day, I try to give thanks for a least one aspect of my life.  And I truly do have an endless list of people and things I have been blessed with - I need to carry that thought with me at all times.

I understand that others who participated in this exercise put much more active thought and organization into their post for Prompt #1 than I did, and that some people are going to be continually adding to their lists.  I have not decided if I will be doing so or not.  I sort of just like having a record of who I thought I was on that particular day - it would be interesting if I did this exercise every six months or every year, just to see how my views of myself change over time.

Have you gone back through your 'I am' list and wondered why you included some things but not others?  I'd love to hear about your opinions!