My Identity

My Identity


When you first open my bright pink Dooney and Burk wallet you will see a variety of things. First off you will see my driver’s license (which is only a year old so you can get a pretty good idea of what I look like, how tall I am, and how much I weigh). Then you will see my bank card, Nordstrom credit card, Subway card, Blockbuster Video card, AAA card, American Red Cross Blood Donor card, and a few other “frequent buyer cards”. You will not find any cash, just a few random coins. In one of the pockets you can find my daily to-do list, my birth certificate, a book of stamps, my business cards, business cards from my favorite places to shop when I am on vacation, and all of my receipts. I do not have any pictures in my wallet; those are all on my cell phone. That is all you will find.

Based on the items in my wallet someone might be able to piece together a little bit about my identity. Mostly they would be able to tell my name, my sex, race, parent’s names, date of birth, place of birth, and what I look like including eye and hair color. They could also piece together that I like to shop, donate blood, track my finances (based on the receipts), am very organized, detail oriented, and slightly obsessive compulsive because every item clearly has its place. My driver’s license and birth certificate would be the items that give the most information about my identity because they show things about my birth and traits I cannot change.

However, the items in my wallet do not construct an accurate view of my identity. Incorrect assumptions could easily be made about me. For example, that I like to buy only name brands and care about my image too much, do not have close relationships with friends or family based on the lack of photos, and might possibly have a poor set of values. All of those assumptions would definitely be wrong.

What my wallet doesn’t show, is the real me. It only shows the materialistic and impersonal side. My wallet shows nothing about my values, beliefs, or the events that have shaped my life. A person looking at my wallet would never know that the reason I have name brand items is because I have a huge amount of responsibility at work and put in more then 60 hours a week. I am also incredibly determined to succeed so I reward myself at the end of a tough month. Also, I am extremely religious and was raised going to Church and even teach Sunday school. They also wouldn’t be able to tell that my friends and family are the most important part of my life. My relationships have a huge impact in my life, and I value each and every one of them. Someone would also never know that I recently became an “Aunt” for the first time and love watching my nephew grow and explore. They also wouldn’t be able to tell that I was raised by my grandparents because I do not have a father and my mom is disabled. I have a very traditional set of values, have been working and financially independent since I was 16 years old, and have lost three very close friends to drunk driving. Although the items in my wallet are important to me and give clues to my identity, they definitely do not represent the real me, my real identity.