Basically, each of the activities reverberates to the present and adds a piece to the whole picture of me.
- Rode horses - I was into horses in a big way. It was the thing that made me feel in control and it was the first thing I was really good at.
- Built a lean-to - I decided one morning that I would build a lean-to in the back yard. I was reading My Side of the Mountain and it seemed like just the thing. The lean-to stood until we moved five years later. This became my modus operandi - I decide that I want to know how to do something (sew, knit, run, paint) so I figure out how.
- Learned to sew and embroider -I still sew and embroider a lot. I do not see these as antiquated skills but a practical, creative outlet.
- Experienced a hurricane - I didn’t really have a choice - the hurricane was going to happen with or without us. But I learned early that nature does not f-around.
- Got a first job - I love to work and I make no apologies for that. I have been gainfully employed since I was 14 years old making pizzas in a tiny mom n’ pop shop.
- Cut all my hair off - I had sad white girl dread locks. My hair dresser could only salvage about an inch of hair. It turned out that short hair was flattering so every so often I cut off all my hair for a change of pace. I don’t have many rules about what I should look like so I am usually up for dramatic changes every now and then.
- Got tattooed…the first one was at 16. I have since gotten 5 more. The most recent one is quite large and there will be more.
- Learned to run - I love to run. Running and I have had our ups and downs like any long relationship, but it is a relationship for life.
- Sang a solo - I sang the female part from the theme from Rent at my high school graduation. I was not known as a singer so it was a pleasant surprise to everyone, including me.
- Swam at night - I had just met these two kids and we decided to go swimming in a lake by the ocean in Rhode Island. The sky was so full of stars and the water reflected all those stars. It was irresponsible and completely necessary.
- Developed eczema - Sounds like a bummer, right? It is. But it’s also an excuse to buy fancy lotion and take long, indulgent showers.
- Learned to knit - I love knitting. I am also good at it and enjoy the self sufficiency of making my own sweaters.
- Smoked weed with George Clinton - Yes, that George Clinton.
- Adopted pets - Chloe (RIP), Ronan, and Ellie. Adopted pets are scrappy little bundles of love.
- Learned to blow glass - I don’t blow glass anymore - I only took one class. But knowing that I did it makes me feel like a bad ass.
- Ran to the ocean - We were visiting my grandmother in Rhode Island after she had her stroke. She couldn’t walk anymore and I felt like I really needed to use my legs - to appreciate and challenge them. So I walked out the door and ran eight miles to the beach and then called my mom to come pick me up. I felt invincible and so grateful.
- Had a serious boyfriend…that I broke up with. It was what my mom calls a “learning relationship”.
- Went to therapy - Haven’t done it? I recommend it. The inside of your head can be a confusing place. It is nice to have an objective party help suss it out.
- Had and recovered from an eating disorder - I lived with this thing for five years, fighting with it everyday. Everyday it was with me. It was as instructive as it was awful.
- Became a bartender - Tending bar is mostly fun. I worked in a dive (parking lot stabbings and the like) but I also met my husband there. Also, working in a trashy bar bestows you with a certain amount of street cred.
- Exhibited my art - I was an “artist” for a while and actually exhibited at some reputable places. Every once in a while they show a interview I did for one of those exhibits on PBS. You can catch it sometimes at 1:00 am on WOSU.
- Had a super shitty job - Nothing humbles you like having to go to a shitty job everyday and make the best of it. I had a ritual as I was riding my bike home every night. I had to list five things that made me happy that day as a way to recover from the shitty-ness. That habit of mind still comes in handy when I have had a shitty day.
- Rode my bike to work everyday - I wish I still lived in a place where this was do-able. I can ride to work now but it is on busy streets and I got bumped by a car which sent me ass-over-apple-cart. Takes the fun out of it. For a whole spring, summer, and fall I got to ride to work on the bike path everyday. Can’t beat all that fresh air.
- Got a Masters Degree - I needed it, I got it. I am pretty proud of my thesis. But everyone has a MA these days.
- Got a grown up job - a job with benefits. A job that actually uses my degree. A job I really like and I am pretty good at it.
- Bought a house - I love our house. It is my favorite place in the world to be.
- Planted a garden - I never thought I could garden. Many of my attempts ended in devastation and destruction. But I now have a respectable garden and I eat food that I have grown in it.
- Got married - Dave and I had an amazing back yard wedding. We had already been together for seven years so we were really just making it official. I love him in a fairy tale kind of way.
- Ran a half marathon - I had not been running and my friend Stacia suggested we run a half-marathon to get back into the habit of running. We ran the Cap City Half and it was so much fun! I am already scheduled to run two more this fall.
- Yoga - I took a yoga class in college and it did not agree with me. I was not in a state of mind that could handle so much…mindfulness…I recently re-discovered yoga and now it seems to be just the thing.
