Yesterday our friend CarlyMarie shared a video blog over at Still Standing Magazine in which she encouraged an exercise in identity. She shared 10 little known things about herself aside from who she is as a grieving mother and she invited others to do the same. I was inspired to participate and I found that the process welcomed new levels of reflection and gratitude into my heart. Not to mention, it was pretty darn fun. For those who may have missed Carlys vlog here is the link: youtu.be/pZsnHh_h78w So here we go. 10 things about me, by Carrie: Sweet or savory? Is this even a question? I mean, I know I’m off to a rough start by answering a question with a question, but seriously. I wish everything in life tasted like warm chocolate chip cookies. Cake flavored chocolate chip cookies. Ice cream covered, cake flavored chocolate chip cookies. With sprinkles. On pie. Most amazing day in your life… This is a tough one. It goes without saying that the days I met my children (both under very different circumstances) are untouchable. Amazing wouldn’t even come close to describing those days. And then Carly went and stole my next answer, because the day she showed up on my doorstep was pretty epic. It still makes me want to run and throw my pajama pants on hoping it will happen again. But apart from that I would have to say the day of my tenth wedding anniversary. JP and I had the opportunity to come together with a collection of people who represented so many different aspects of our years together. Such special people that when I looked around the room I could see all of the amazing days that had come before, in large part because of them. A serenade by a talented and kind-hearted friend, a poem read aloud that was still being scribbled onto a scrap piece of paper as the poet made her way to the stage. And a repeat of the chocolate cake with raspberry filling that we had indulged in ten years prior. I was surrounded by magic that day. Messy or tidy? Tidy. Make that obsessively tidy. So tidy that I have already intercepted the dirty sock and put it in the hamper before it has been completely removed from the foot. Don’t get me wrong, dust is apparently a welcome guest in my house. But if he brings along his good friend clutter, that’s when things get ugly. I have a tendency to try to restore balance to everything, which is probably why I became a bookkeeper. I’m always looking for a credit to the debit and vice versa. When I feel anxious I start restoring the house to order. I’m fully aware that this is an illness and one that exhibits my control-freak tendencies. And I’m ok with that. Any bad habits? This answer directly relates to the previous one. I have this terrible habit of continually finding something new that needs to be done while I’m in the process of working on something else. Like I’ll carry the hamper to the washing machine and then I spot a piece of trash on the floor, so I’ll stop to pick it up. When I bend down to pick up the trash I notice the table needs to be wiped down so I go to the kitchen to get the cleaning spray. On the way to the kitchen I see that the trash needs to go out. Then I stop and look around to discover that I now I have a full hamper sitting in the middle of the living room, trash on the floor, a dirty table, a full trash can and the dishes need to be put away. It’s at this point that I feel so completely overwhelmed that I walk away from all of it, sit at my desk and begin formulating a plan to run away to the forest, live in a tent and eat berries. If you had to choose between hearing or sight, which would you choose? Definitely hearing. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I couldn’t take in the experience of music or the sound of laughter. Though the cackling and snorting sounds that assault my ears daily from our annoying next door neighbor make me seriously question this one, I’m gonna hold firm with hearing. What is something you failed at? College, the first time around. I didn’t fail any of my classes but I did run off to Boston from L.A. at the age of 17 figuring that was about as far away as I could get from home without leaving the country. I was only there for my freshman year because I had not fully thought through the financial aid scenario. So I guess I did not fail at college, my real failure was in making a plan for myself. A strange fact about you… When I was about six years old I went through one of my story books and drew cleavage on all of the princesses. It wasn’t graphic or anything, just a short and simple little flick of the pencil at the neckline of their dresses. On every single page. I’m sure therapists and feminists everywhere could have a field day with this one. I have no idea what compelled me to do it but based on my mom’s reaction I was convinced for a while that I was made of evil. Favorite movie? Aw man, another tough one. I love film. And generally my heart belongs to the reality and authenticity of documentary film. However, I have to break my own rule here and go with Amelie. The color and light, the music, the vulnerability and the clever storytelling captivate me every single time. If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? Anthony Bourdain, hands down. Though he’s got a bit of a gruff exterior, he has the ability to walk into any situation anywhere in the world, sit down with whomever is there and inquisitively gain access to their life truths. I can imagine sitting down to a dinner with him (cooked by his own skilled hands, of course) and soaking in the grandest of stories from around the globe. What are you passionate about? Stories. Real ones. About real people. Everywhere I go I become fascinated thinking about the stories of the people I encounter every day. The grocery clerk, the postal worker, the bank teller, the restaurant owner. The little old man crossing the street with his walker. The lady in the elevator. Every single one of them has a story and a piece of wisdom that could potentially change my life. Just knowing that potential is out there and that there is so little time to take it all in compels me to connect with people.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 15:32:11 +0000
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