The other day David, Charlie and I were running errands. Charlie decided he would drive. LORD help us. Then the music came on. Where oh, where is my headphones because that music was giving me a headache. But I didn’t say anything I was quite and just sat in the backseat reminding myself to pick my battles.
To distract me from Charlie’s driving, the music and David’s backseat driving I decided to browse Facebook. I scrolled through post and watched videos. Then just as I decided to get off Facebook I saw a post I wanted to check into because some of the best ideas start with something we almost scroll past. That’s exactly what happened with this one.
I came across one of those fun questions that asks you to imagine yourself as something completely different. This particular one asked what color you would be. I thought, Okay, that’s fun. So I looked up the answer. And then I stopped. Because the description was so much like me that I had to share it with David and Charlie.
We talked about it, and they agreed. The color was spot on.
And that’s when my little Facebook discovery turned into something much bigger. David and Charlie asked me what color would they be and why. Then Charlie asked me what Bear and Sandy would be. Then I had to look up Pheobie and we ended up seeing what color my brother Gerald would be.
Then I started thinking about the other people in my life. What would my sister’s color be? What about my friends? What about David’s mom? What about Bradley? What about Suzanne? What about Uncle Mike? And then, because this is our family we’re talking about, what about granny sherry’s dogs?
That’s when I thought: Why not make this something we can all do together? A Little Something To Get Us Off Our Phones because I believe we’re all spending so much time looking at screens. We’re scrolling. We’re watching. We’re answering messages. We’re checking social media. And sometimes we’re sitting in the same room with people we love while everyone is looking at a phone.
I wanted something different. Something simple. Something that could make us laugh. Something that could make us think. Something that could give us a reason to put the phones down for a little while and actually talk to one another. And that’s how What If I Was…? was born. I hope you come and join us.
This isn’t going to be a test where someone tells us who we are. It’s a fun way to get to know the people we already love just a little bit better. Because sometimes you can know someone for years and still be surprised by the way someone else sees them and this is what excites me about the challenge and will allow me to not only get to know myself a little bit better but my friends and family as well.
For this series, I’m bringing the whole family along. You’ll hear from me, David, Charlie, Suzanne and Junior, along with our three dogs. Eight family members. One question. Eight different perspectives. Well…at least I hope they’re different! We’re going to see where each question takes us and I can’t wait.
Some answers may make perfect sense. Some may surprise us. Some may make us laugh. And I’m sure there will be a few answers where somebody says, “That’s not me at all!” That’s okay, too. Because there isn’t necessarily a right answer. The fun is in the conversation while spending time together.
Before we begin sharing our questions and answers I wanted to explain something from the beginning because I know some of you may wonder how we’re coming up with the descriptions. We’re using ChatGPT as a creative tool for this challenge. It started with me finding that Facebook post and looking up my own answer.
Once I saw how surprisingly accurate the description felt, I realized this could be something fun to explore with the people I love. I’ll give ChatGPT the information, memories, personalities and details that I want it to consider about each family member. Then we’ll see what it comes up with. We’re not treating the answers as scientific facts.
We’re not letting a computer decide who we are. We’re using it as a starting point for conversation. And if it gets something completely wrong? We’ll tell you that, too. Because that might be just as funny. The other reason I wanted to create this series is because I think you might enjoy doing it with your own family and friends.
You can ask ChatGPT about yourself. You can ask it about your spouse. You can ask it about your children. You can ask about your best friend, your sister, your parents or even your pets. Give it some information about the person and ask it a simple question. Then see what it says. You might be surprised by how well it fits.
Or you might completely disagree. Either way, you’ve got something to talk about. And maybe, for a few minutes, everybody puts their phones down and actually talks about it together. Which for me is a Godsend as Charlie and David are busier with work and we never seem to have time together and I miss them.
The first question that started all of this was about color. But that’s just the beginning. Because once I started thinking about it, I realized we could ask: What if I was a season? What if I was a song? What if I was a flower? What if I was a book? What if I was a movie? What if I was a place? What if I was a memory? What if I was a holiday? What if I was a family tradition? What if I was an animal? And those are just the questions we’ve thought of so far. That’s why I decided the series needed a name that could grow with us.
What If I Was…? Questions That Make You Think, Remember, and Imagine. We’re going to share a new question on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We’ll share our answers. We’ll tell you a little about why we got those answers. And we’ll invite you to answer the question yourself. You don’t have to agree with us. You don’t even have to agree with ChatGPT.
That’s the whole point. This is about having a little fun, remembering things, learning something about the people we love and maybe getting off our phones long enough to have a real conversation. So that’s how this all started. One Facebook post. One color. One surprisingly accurate answer which surprised
That’s the whole point. This is about having a little fun, remembering things, learning something about the people we love and maybe getting off our phones long enough to have a real conversation. So that’s how this all started. One Facebook post. One color. One surprisingly accurate answer which surprised David and Charlie.
Leading to a conversation with David and Charlie. And an idea that made me wonder what would happen if we all played along. Now we’re going to find out. Welcome to What If I Was…? Pull up a chair. Put the phone down for a few minutes. And let’s get to know each other a little better. and don’t forget to invite your friends and family.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates