Writer's Choice

I chose this piece specifically for my Writer's Choice piece as it truly shows clearly how easily our identity, communities and traditions can be preconceived and misconceived through the perceptions of others. It also takes a look at how a life like mine or Kennedi's goes almost untouched by the world around it and yet remains with a strong sense of Identity, Community and Traditions.


My Wallet and its misconceptions...

If someone was to find my wallet they might first judge primarily that I am a woman who likes expensive brand items. This is a total misconception. My husband loves thrift store shopping and found a three hundred dollar wallet for a dollar and a half and bought it for me, as he loves being a treasure collector. Once opened, my wallet would appear to be rather empty, no checkbook, no pictures, no credit cards, etc. It does have mirrors on one side which came built into the trifold wallet, but they have never once been used. I am not a person that makes much use of mirrors. The middle section is totally empty and the far side contains in very precise alignment, my driver's licence, my debit card, my disability card, my library card, my UW patient card, and my build a bear workshop card. My husband teases me that I am obsessive compulsive because the cards always have to be perfectly aligned with one another in the slots provided within the leather. From the information one would be able to determine my age from my driver's licence; however, not my appearance. My driver's licence picture was taken days after being released from a three month hospital stay and I am 40 pounds heavier than now, or ever, as well as exremely pale, my long blonde hair having been cut off from my coma, has now regrown, and my tan face and pronounced cheek bones which are normally easily defining are missing. Many people question if it is even my driver's licence at all. I had trouble getting my son's car out of impound as a result as they did not believe that the person in that picture was the same tall, thin, tan, blonde standing before them. So once again, the individual examining my wallet will have formed a misconception about my appearance based on the picture on the licence. They would then perhaps notice a total lack of credit cards and checkbook and assume this is a result of poor credit rather than a choice to use only cash under all circumstances with the exception of purchasing gas, as I cannot be out in the cold and need to use my debit card for quick gas purchasing and emergency bank withdrawals. My disability card might place a picture in one's mind of a person in a wheel chair. Often I am yelled at by people for using handicap parking spaces even though I have handicap plates on my car. They conceive that only those who are in wheel chairs need handicap parking spaces. Mine was issued by my neurosurgeon, who does not want me exposed to cold air which will put me back in the hospital, and another misconception has been formed. I have a library card. The library is something that I use primarily online and order many downloadable audio books to listen to when I am sick, historical fiction, biographies, etc. The assumption that I like to read would be a correct one; however, the perception that I spend time in the library or even go to the library is again false. I order my books online and have my kids or husband bring them home to me. My UW patient card does give some information about me: I am a patient of the University of Washington Medical Center. The types of assumptions this might result in are too numerous to tell and most would probably be again, inaccurate. Finally, there is my build a bear workshop card. This might lead one to believe I have small children or frequent the store often. Both of these assumptions are also incorrect. My children are grown; it is my grandchildren and stepchildren that I have used this card for. Furthermore, it has not been used since last Christmas; however, since there was one more slot in the wallet, I put it in to even the spaces out between the cards precisely. Now this is the one thing my husband notices the most and I wonder if a stranger finding my wallet would even notice how carefully I place the cards in perfect alignment.

So the most important issue to discuss would be what would they miss about me based on the contents of my wallet. Well my wallet would tell nothing of meaning to anyone about me with the exception of my birthdate and driver's licence number, not even the address is right on it. My wallet tells no one of my relationship to GOD or my family, as it is totally lacking photographs. Would this lead someone to the proper conclusion: that I am just not the type of person interested in or having time for frivalities, I doubt it. I have countless beautiful pictures of my children, grandchildren and husband, who are more important to me than anything else on the planet; however, someone who rarely leaves the house, has no reason to carry these sort of things around in a wallet. Any extra's in my wallet just increases the weight of my purse, which pulls on my neck and increases my pain, which is one of the most defining characteristics of my life and this no one can see in my wallet. This, everyone would miss who did not know me personally. This inanimate object tells nothing of my life, my identity, or personality.