Re-Introducing Me

One of my absolute favorite movies growing up was the Camp Rock movie series. Now, if

you’ve never watched it, here’s your sign – GO WATCH IT IMMEDIATELY! In the second movie,

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, Nick Jonas (the best of the three brothers) sings a pretty great

song to his crush. I mean, who wouldn’t be swooned?! Check it out here.

Now, what I like the most about this song is how absolutely transparent he is about everything

that makes him who he is. While most of his song remains surface level, it made me start

thinking about what makes me, me. So, it’s time to re-introduce myself.

“Hi, I’m Abby – a stubborn, goofy, crazy gal who is constantly badgering other people for

entertainment. You can find me randomly dancing, asking a million questions, shopping at

Dollar Tree, or almost drowning (I’m bad at swimming, like really bad). I love all things dairy –

including, but not limited to, Ben & Jerry’s Half-Baked ice cream, Chick-fil-A mac and cheese,

and all types of cheeses – even if I may be a little lactose intolerant. I absolutely love fruits, but

don’t even try to give them to me when their baked. I know absolutely nothing about classic

movies, I’m terrible at video games, and have a weird obsession with the flavor of peppermint. I

also have another habit that I’m trying to quit – diet coke. My favorite time of year is the single

day when you wake up and it’s like spring came out of nowhere – its literally gorgeous. While

my dream career may be agriculture education, I also have an extreme passion for interior

design and all things HGTV.”

While that may have been a bit chaotic, these are the things that make me who I am and who

I’m proud to be. As I made this list, I realized that with each item listed, I smiled. I smiled

because it is without a doubt, without hesitation, me. At the same time, however, I began to

realize how many of these things a lot of people in my life don’t know. Sure, we all know I LOVE

diet coke and most of us know that I’m pretty goofy; but, how many people reading this blog

knew every single item on this list? From my guesses, very few.

Throughout my lifetime, I can say that I’ve been pretty guilty of holding very surface-level

conversations when meeting someone for the first time. Although I love to talk, I don’t always

go too deep and I don’t always share a lot about what makes me, me. While I wish I could tell

you why, I don’t really know. But here’s what I will tell you – I wish more than anything that I

would’ve committed from the start to having intentional conversations to truly get to know

others and fully let them know me. Although I’ve been watching Nick Jonas in Camp Rock 2 for

many years now, I didn’t let his song sink in until now. While there may be some things we

don’t want others to know, there is plenty about ourselves we can share that people would

love to know. With transparent conversation comes a new level of connection and friendship –

one that we all could use a little more of.

As I have now reintroduced myself to every one of you, I have a little request. I would love to be

reintroduced to the real person shining in each of you – something I’ve likely missed along the

way. Compile your own list of characteristics, attributes, likes, dislikes, etc., and send them my

way! You can send them to my Instagram (@abbystuckwisch), my email (srvp@inffa.org), or

post them on Instagram or Facebook and tag me! It’s time to truly “Re-Introduce Ourselves” to

the people in our lives and get to know them deeper.

Re-Introducing Me,

Abby Stuckwisch