White American, married sports enthusiast

I sit on my couch and wonder which three things in my house express me culturally, socially, and ethnically. Thoughts pass through my head about as quickly as a sedan can pull itself out of a deep mud road. One by one they go and then return... things that are obscure about me. I have a chess piece that I made, reminding me of an entire chess set that I made once, among many things. No, too obscure. I have different kinds of shoes. No... that doesn't tell people that I'm white. Is white really my ethnicity? My roots go back to Europe, but the vast majority of my ancestors were in America before the revolutionary war. Then it hits me, "My family has been here so long that I'm American." What do I have that is American.... hmmm. The only flag I have is Brazil's. I got rid of my patriotic shirt when it no longer fit. Oh! I have a picture of an american flag on the cover of "1776." Genius! That represents more than just a flag. My wife and I have a few hundred books and we love to read! Killing two birds with one stone--culture and ethnicity. I go and search it out on the bookshelf. No flag on the cover. oh well, everyone knows it is patriotic. It has a picture of George Washington. Yes, it will still do just fine.

On to subject number two. The assignment reminds me that culture is along the lines of something that I do everyday; it is something that is a part of me. How about a T-shirt? I wear a lot of T-shirts. That represents me daily. So which shirt? It's got to be a BYU shirt or nothing. Sports have consumed a portion of each day of my life for the majority of the days that make up the past 25 years for me. A reference to sports needs to be present. What better way to do it than to include a BYU T-shirt? Afterall, I did grow up wearing my dad's BYU shirts to bed when I was young. I've been a cougar since before I can remember. And my parents before me. In fact, pretty much all my relatives have been cougars. Hey, that's actually is culture. It's my culture, my family's culture, my extended family's culture. A BYU shirt is also a really good idea because people may assume common stereotypes about me and guess that I'm white and I'm LDS. Which I am.

Okay, number three. Number three. Tapping my foot on the floor, I scan the room. Laundry detergent? no. Shoes? No, what's with my mind and the shoes? games? I do love board games. A frisbee? Eh, maybe. I already connected to sports with my BYU shirt. Oh, I know what the third one will be. It will be a copy of my engagement picture. Nothing has every changed my life so much as getting married. I'm very happy to have the wife that I do and she has been infused into every part of my life. She is definitely someone that is involved in my daily life in any way imaginable: culturally, socially, or any other way you can dream up. She comes from a similar background as me. She's white, comes from a good family, and reared in the LDS church. I guess that rather than being an item that has shaped me throughout my life, this item is more symbolic of where I see my future going and how I will be shaped through the joys, tears, and everything tomorrow (and every day after) will bring.

Yes, those are three great items that reveal me. I guess now all I have to do is write about them.