A funny thing happens when someone says, “tell me about yourself.” There’s always an awkward pause as you scramble for something to say. You would think, for as self-absorbed as we all are, we’d each have a ready-made answer to that question.

There are at least two components to your identity — who you are and what you are. I’ve told you who I am. I am the wildebeest Olden Gnu. As for what I am, we’ll… this is where things get complicated. The ‘what’ of me is tied to the writer. I’ve described myself as his internal voice, his critic, and as the writer’s alter ego. I used to use the term “under self” to illustrate what I am. That is until I found out “under self” was something psychiatrists used to say when describing split personality disorder. Leave it to the medical profession to screw up a poetically accurate description.

Perhaps a more accurate description of me would be, a reflection—a reflection of the writer. In my case, a reflection that has peeled away from its surface and landed in the body of a wildebeest. It’s not so odd, if you really think about it. Animals make great reflections. Look at your dog and you’ll see a part of you—often the best part.

You could say I’m like a mirrored image, but mirrors are highly overrated. They’re only good for pointing out the obvious. Things like: when your front tooth is missing, or you have a booger hanging from your nose, or wearing stripes makes you look like you need to lose 300 pounds. That sort of thing. It’s not until you fully understand every surface reflects something back at you, do you realize how self-serving mirrors are.

“Mirrors are only good for pointing out the obvious.”

Think about it. Windows reflect the interior space at the same time they provide a view of the outside world. Kitchen utensils reflect your hunger and glassware your thirst. Even a dark wall in a lightless room reflects something of you. The heat coming off your body, or perhaps the sound of your breathing. At the very least, it reflects how you move through darkness. The more subtle the reflection the more profound the insight.

Damn, if subtlety is the goal, I’ve got some work to do.