One foot, two foot, red foot, blue foot Anonymous

After five or six efforts at creating a framework and collection of words that can piece together what is me, I have found that no single experience or sole person can represent all that I am. I can only describe the variety of particulars that shape the gumbo of my life.

I have one foot in Houston and my other in Northern Ireland where I have repeatedly spent summers sliding gratefully into their slowed down pace of life for a respite from the hurdling pace of Houston. This bi-cultural life has kept my eyes open to the “can-do” attitude of America without losing the value of community, neighbors, and friends - a major priority to the Irish. The different sports I played frequently in the locales of N. Ireland included soccer, rugby and cricket and expanded my range of sports beyond the high school and city-favored basketball and football games that I love so much. Perhaps what I enjoy most is the constant flow of neighbors and family unscheduled and un-announced coming through my granny’s house. The intimacy of this culture is one I try to create wherever I go; everyone has time to talk and drink a cup of tea.

Lance, my second brother, has a form of autism called Asperger Syndrome. I have been a part of the exhausting and...