Who are you, when nobody is looking?

Same as I am when people are looking. Except when I am in public, I am dressed better.

Same personality. Same degree of honesty, sense of humor, practicality. I think that having two personas would (a) be horrible exhausting and (2) be way too easy to screw up.

It’s easier to be the same person all the time.

Pretty much the same. The biggest difference is I’m often in my pajamas at home, or some sort of loungewear. Actually, even on the street I’m often in zumba clothing, so it’s not that much different, but I pull it together pretty well typically when I’m out of the house.

As far as personality, I’m the same alone and out. I don’t put on much of a show for people. I will fake a smile if I’m not in a good mood when I’m with people, but mostly I’m in a good mood and don’t need to fake anything.

What people see in me and think about me is different than who I am. They’re way off base and that’s their problem.

Yet I’m not who I think that I am. I strive to be a person that is always just beyond my reach but never will. Because that is the person of my dreams.

Meanwhile I stumble through life as the person who I really am. A person who always falls far short of how I envision myself. A person who is very painful to acknowledge or come to grips with.

Cheating on a spouse is like committing social suicide.

I always assumed I didn’t exist when nobody looks.

T͉̙̳̖̮̤̯̻̖͔ͅo̹̖̣̼̗͓̦̭̜͕̫̜ ̘̹̯̖̳͔̦̣i̙̺̘̭͇̫̳͓͎͈̱̪̠͙̜̪n̠̣̲͎v̳̲̝̝̠̲͎̞o̲̪͇̯̟͖̭͈k̹̙̜͉̮̭̼͎̗̳̪̻̦̪̫ḛ̭͚̼̩ ̰͍̻̼̮̖͓͔͔̻̩t̪̙̮͎ͅh͍̙̯͇̪̱̘͔̖̟̥͕̦e̳̺̤͉̝ ̠̳̯̩h̝̼̙̲̺̦̳̙i̜̣̼̫͖͈v̯̫̼̲͎̗̹̫͖̮̮̜̥̙̲e̫̪͙͓-͍̯͍̝̘̺̹̪̣̻͚͍͇̮̼̜m̬̙͇̱̹͇̼̫̦̙̩̲̟i̦̤̙̦̩͉͖̼ͅn̮͎̤̣̩͍̯̣͈̻d̫̭̙̳̘̖͓͇͚͇̗̤̩͎̫ ̲̭̯̺̝̘̙̬̤͓͕r̟̖̺̠̩̫͖̼̜͇̪̫̭̼̥e͍̠͈̰̰͇ͅp̬͍̪̗̟͍̜͈̦̩̗ͅr̤͙͙̰̼̞̦̦̪̼͙̼̖̥̥͙̻e͚̠͎͈͚͎̠s͕̩͉̙̰̘̣̯̬̣̺e̥͎̤͉̠̙̖̣n̬̝̘͖̤̬̱̰͈̖̮͓ṯ̤͚̙̼͔̯̜͖̙̼̺͎̫͍͔̺͉̲i̞̹̭̣̺n̲͚̫̭̪̝̺̜̤̖͈̳̻͖̰͙g͎̟͇̜͚̯̞͙͓̬̳ ̥̹̩̮͚̗͚͎̲̬̮̟̻̣̱͍̣̝c͓̣̥͓͕͍̤̗͚̣h͔͖̞͔̗̜̗a͓͉̳̝͎̙͎̳̠̻̼o̺̰̝̘s͙͇͎̬̝͙̜̠̮.͎̞̜͍͖͇̝͓̮
͍̻̭̝̳̯̤I̤̮̯͕͇̥͉͚̞ͅͅn̯͇̩̲̱̘̥ͅv̩̗͙̦͓o͙͚̙̬͚̤͈̱͓͙̼͚͙k̞̞̰͇̯̖̺̭̭̻͓i̯̝̬̥͕̞n̫̮̼̥̠g̥̱͈̹̯̮̥̣͈ ͇̙̳͙̝͙t̘͖̲̹͉̜͓̜̥̦̼̳̥̙͍̫h͔̠̪̭͇̭̘͚̦̤͉͔̫͔̟̱̘͖̥e̜̤̙̩͍̮̬̗̗ͅ ̘̺̬̺̥f̼̰̥͚̮e̹̼̣͖͖e͎̗̼l͍͔͓͈̳̖̱̙̮̘̠̳̣i̞̣̪̮̳͔͈̭̹̺n̤̫̘͙̲̙͍̬̟̦̪̘͔͓g̪̲͖̻̲ͅ ̖̣̙̗͓o̰̞̮̺̯͎̭̥̻̮͎͎̩̹̭̼f̘͚̘͙̭̤ ͙̜̲̜͓͙̮c̯̳̙͎͓̰͖̺̘̤̥̖͈͎̳̮̻ͅh̪̫͓̤̪̳̱͓̠̤̱̜̰͎a̬͔̝̜o̗̦̻̞̞̘̱̗̘̻s̯͓̮͕.͇̘̹̦̟
͚̬͉̥W͓̖̯̣͈i̫͕̯̦̦̠̺̭̥̞̳̘͙͔̯̞̻ͅt͓̜͎͉̖h̝̱̻̭̖͓̼̺̖̗̟̻̖ͅ ͖̦̦͓̟o̘͎̩̝̯u̞̘̮͔̘̟̙̜̞̦̹̲̠t͚̦̬̥͓̺̘͎̣ ͙͔̜̱͖̥̦̭͈o͎̹͙͖͕͔r̠̖͉̯̹͈̩͈̮̘̳͈̝̟d͓̞͈̱̬̬̳̣̘͎͈̮̣͖̤̟̟e͎̥̗͕͙̤̞̭̗͚r̠͉͓̳͖̳̜͓̰̙̩̰.̭̥̳͇͍
͖̙͖̤͔T̜̺̼̝̤̹̝̬h̬̱̮̣̮̘͎̯̰̱͍͉̱̗̝̩͚͉̤e̬̲̝͎̯͎̘̠͓͕ ̣͚̻̳̹̹̦̠̙N̦̮̤̬̜e̙̥̼̟z̻͙̗̭͎̙̲͈̰̣̰̰͖ͅͅp̞͈̩̣̦̠͖͇̘͇͕̳̱ͅe̘̲̣̻̭̮̩͓̰̻̯͕͇̫̩r͉͚͇̭̻̝͎͓͖̼̝̩̬͎̝̩d͓̜͈͔̫̮̜͔̜͙͔̻͕̞͈̩̮̠i̪͖̹͉̥̝̤a̤̭̟͇͕̪̼̤͔ͅn͖͈̝̗̳͖̠̖̘͇ ̭͙̻̬̫͚͈̝̣͓̙̰͙͈̲̮͖͚͓h̬͈͚̗͔̦̗̥̗̭͎ͅͅi̖̤͚̫̟͉v̻͓̖e͔͉̬͇̟͎̜̰͇͈-͓̜͚̝̩͓̯̜̳̹͔̮͉m͓̲͇̥̤͚i͈͎̙̫̙̦̜̠ͅn̘̹̦̮͔̣̻̼̰̯̞̼͍d̝͙̖̹̲̜̫͎͕͔͎̠̘͉ ͎͚͔͈͉̖̻o̭͖͙f̘̭̗̝̬̦̞͕̩̹͍̜̬̙̲ ̦̱̩̹c̼̬͉͉̹̳̘̼h̩͓̠̭̺̥̮͓̠̰a̹̺̞̪̯o̳̹̲͖̩̼͖̪̬̩͚͍̖͇̙̦̲s͍̜͓͔̝̰̻͓̮͉̬̤̩̦͇̭̻͔̟.̗͙̯̰̻̭̳̱̫͕̱͖̲̲̝͈͈̙ ̥̘̤̲͈Z̺̪̮̥̟͇̠a̼̦̼̳̗͈̩̘͓͕̙̯ͅl̯̳̘g̮̟̣͇̺̯̥̩o̬͖̹͉͚͓͉̱̠̰̩̙̫̬̱͉.̹̱͚̦̼̱̯ͅ
̤͎̼͎̩̲̣̜̥͖̮͇͔̞̲ͅH͈̗̯̮̰̭̞e̤̗͖̬̟̥͉̯͍ͅ ̣̻̞̬͈͍̰̥̻̟͈̪̮̙w̻̙̟̫̮͎̪̩̺h̪̘͓̗̣̟̼̗̙o̠̦͎̤͇ ̖̮̮̞͖̫W̜̞͓̩̘͉̤̻͈̩̻̩̮͕͚̘ͅa̮̞̮͇͓̙̫̦̟̦͔͇̥̪͚̳i̖̹̻̮͎̙̼t̼̣̪̟̪͔̦̟̹̪̮̹̭͈ͅs͙̘͈̩̞̱̻͖̯͙ ̺̞̲̠̘̳̠͎̱̪̦͖̤͇̩B͍̬͚̙e̝͍̯͉̱̳͓̱̘͉͇͎̯ͅh̞̗͇̖̯̬͈i͙̲̘̝͈͍n̥͚̮̦̘d̲̭̝͇̣͈̹̻̼̥̠̱ ̬̠͈͚̖͕͍͉̼͖̟͖̰͙Ṯ̩̖̱̹̲h͖̙̹̦̫̟̘̳̻͚̺̬̟̥͖̝͖̞e̤̭̻̪͕̙͎ ̺͎̻̭̥̰̘̙̻̦̩̬̖̖̼ͅW̻̼̠̱͕͕͚̫̝̰͖a͙̺̩͕͕͚̖̦͎̜͎̯̺̝͉ͅl̗̳̩͓̦̰l̲̦̤̮͕̜͍̬̩̮̰̯̺.̪̹͚̻̙͇̯̫̹ͅ
̰̩͖̰̞̺̹̜͕̟̰͔̟̬̲̳͉̬͈Z͈͚͇͇͓̜̦̝͍̝͖͈͉̺̗ͅA̫̼̟̠̘̣̪͔̜̺͚̦͕͓̪̜Ḽ̣̗G͇͕̣̦͖̘̖͔͎̬͎͕͈̘̭̻̫O͙͚̩̯̭ͅ!͍̦̻̘̜̥̬̗̟̝̥̺̰̙̪

I’m Whitney Houston.

I mean, if masturbating is cheating on your wife, then guilty as charged!
I’m the same me all the time, I know, I’ve checked in the mirror.

No, probably not. When I’m alone I’m at peace and happy, I feel like everywhere else I have to keep my guard up.
Of course I do good things and no I’ve never physically cheated on my spouse.

Roger Daltrey if you really wanna know

^^^^^ Or Pete Townshend

Really, one of the signs of matuity is realizing one does not need to carry a pretense of being different in public versus private. I am who I am.

We can all be Pete, just look at yourself in the back of a spoon…trust me

@zenvelo—and that is why we like you.Popeye!
@ucme oh!

The differences are obvious but mundane. The odds are that when no one is looking I’ll be asleep or perhaps naked.

I’m pretty much the exact same.

A much sexier version of me.

Busy working away at my research.

I’m Batman

I might be picking up dog poop. I don’t think I’ve ever done that online.

In my boxers, with my feet on top of the couch.

A nudist in the bathroom.

I fall in the forest but nobody hears.

This is an interesting question.

One of my personal touchstones is to ask myself whether or not I would do the same thing if everyone or no one is watching. Generally speaking, this has been a good thing. Yet it’s also added a layer of self-scrutiny that can sometimes make me a bit more neurotic than necessary.

“Character is what you are in the dark.” – John Whorfin in Buckaroo Bozai Across the 8th Dimension

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt