Perception is everything!

I had a call from an old friend.
In the course of the conversation he mentioned my prior incarnation as an "Ostentacious woman".

Not the word I would have chosen to describe myself.

It gave me pause primarily because of something I was told a little time ago. A co-worker of mine ran into a dear friend and once they established me as a mutual point of reference, my dear friend reported that the co-worker said:
"You know, she should be an actress. She should be on stage. I just don't know why she isn't."

My dear friend found this to be endlessly amusing and kept his thoughts to himself until he could gleefully call me and hold forth.

It never really crosses my mind when *I* meet people what they should be. What I think they should be doing with their lives. I just like people alot and love to hear their stories. It is a fascination and a passion. I love people. I love feeling useful. The idea of my *ostentaciousness* was alien to my primal self-concept however it brought a little idea to mind.
I called a few people and in the course of our conversations asked them how they would describe me to others in just a word or two.

People close to me in my very younger years said:"Crazy. In a good way of course."
--- uhm, thanks. I think

People from my twenties said: "Outrageous. Fun. " Three people used those words.
---- uhm, ok.

People from my early thirties: "Tres jolie." "flambuoyant" "Fun"
----- still not quite my own perceptions but hmm, okay.

People now: "Confident." "Fun" "Joyful"
and yes... "Sparkley". "Bright". "Showey."
And what does showey mean anyway? Is it a comment on personality or ornamentations?

Is this evolution or devolution.
Hah.
If I was describing myself in a word I would say "content".

I also got *Flambuoyant* alot. I dont think of myself that way.
I am just a magpie who loves shiny things.
Shiny me.
Shiny shiny.
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Fierce passions discompose the mind,
As tempests vex the sea;
But calm content and peace we find,
When, Lord, we turn to thee. ~ William Cowper, 1779, from Olney Hymns, vol. 1, hymn 131